tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-333606322024-02-21T05:51:12.629-06:00Out of The LoopMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-47371380891641127672013-04-04T19:47:00.002-05:002013-04-04T20:05:04.902-05:00RogerWe all knew Roger was really having a hard time of it these last few years. The dead give-away was when he had the lower half of his face amputated as part of his fight with cancer.<br />
<br />
Fight with cancer.<br />
<br />
Yeah.<br />
<br />
In the words of the late, great Warren Zevon, Roger' shit was fucked up.<br />
<br />
Salivary glands.<br />
<br />
Shit's fucked up. <br />
<br />
Thyroid shit.<br />
<br />
Shit's fucked up.<br />
<br />
Shit shit shit.<br />
<br />
Roger hung in there and enjoyed the last part of his life, against unbelievable hardship...how do enjoy swallowing?...Roger couldn't.... and contributed some great insights for people who were paying attention.<br />
<br />
Like Hitchens before him, Roger Ebert's cancer was public. He wrote about it. He wondered aloud about it. He made some of us think about it. He made me think about it.<br />
<br />
He was a Chicago Titan. Like Algren, Brooks, Studs, Royko, Kup,.... Roger Ebert is to Chicago what so many, almost countless others, have tried, and failed, to be.<br />
<br />
He was ours. <br />
<br />
There has been so much written today about Roger that anything I'd say is just more of the same.<br />
<br />
Roger was an original. Along with Gene, another original, they created something from nothing. And that something has grown into an industry. That something has fed and watered so many Siskel & Ebert knock-offs it would take a month to list them.<br />
<br />
Two guys sitting in the front row of the balcony, on the aisle, watching movies. And then arguing about them.<br />
<br />
The greatest thing about "At The Movies" was Roger & Gene's astonishing ability to shake off an insult from 5 seconds ago and move on to the next movie. Laughing.<br />
<br />
Roger's classes at Chicago and Champaign are the stuff of legend. Like taking a class on astrophysics with Neil Armstrong as your prof.<br />
<br />
His movie reviews in the paper, online, and on TV have been the deciding vote for tens of millions of moviegoers.<br />
<br />
A thumbs-up from Roger....was like the OK sign from Johnny.<br />
<br />
The dude will be missed in these parts especially, but everywhere really.<br />
<br />
Rest in peace Roger.<br />
<br />
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<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-77999005138544042012-12-21T20:54:00.000-06:002012-12-21T20:57:54.576-06:00A Petition<span class="userContent">When I started my WhiteHouse.gov petition on
Saturday evening, I told a few friends on Twitter about it. Being a gun
owner, I figured there must be some middle ground between people who
want a total ban on guns, and people who want unfetter</span>ed access to any and all weapons.<span class="userContent"></span><br />
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<br />
So I picked assault rifles (which I've been told was the wrong choice
of words...assault weapons would have been proper) and high capacity
magazines.<br />
<br />
"The goal of this petition is to make illegal the
sale of assault rifles and high capacity magazines. While not an
indictment of the 2nd Amendment, we feel the time has come to address
the ambiguous language allowing citizens the right to bear arms. There
can be no practical reason for non-military personnel to own these sorts
of armaments."<br />
<br />
That's the petition.<br />
<br />
A WhiteHouse.gov
needs petition needs 150 signatures to make the list on the WH website.
It remains hidden up to that point, I guess so that they don't have a
rolling list of stupid petitions bumping legitimate ones from the front
page. We passed the 150 threshold around 9PM on Saturday, thanks to my
friends from WSCR radio, and my fellow Scoreheads. <br />
<br />
We wondered
if we had a shot at 25,000 signatures within the 30 day window allowed
by the White House, after which a petition is removed and must be
restarted. If a petition does reach 25,000 signatures, the White House
issues a reply.<br />
<br />
I checked the petition on Sunday morning, about
12 hours after it first started, and we were up to 1500 signatures.
That sort of startled me, although in hindsight I guess it shouldn't
have.<br />
<br />
We passed the 10,000 signature mark yesterday morning,
and the 20,000 signature mark today at about 9AM...and we just passed
the 21,000 about 10 seconds ago. A thousand signatures in 90 minutes.
Jesus. There are signatures from every state in the union, Washington
DC, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and numerous military bases around the
world. Worth noting, the last 4 states to be represented were Montana,
Alaska, Wyoming, and South Dakota....the last of which didn't sign in
until Sunday night. WTF South Dakota?<br />
<br />
Anyway, after crunching
some numbers, I came up with this....In 64 1/2 hours we've collected
21,000 signatures. That's 3870 minutes since the petition was first
posted. That works out to be 5.4 signatures per minute, every minute,
since it went up. That works out to be one signature every 11 seconds.<br />
<br />
At this rate, we should pass the 25,000 threshold sometime this afternoon.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwh.gov%2FRsHZ&h=yAQEWkiLx&s=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://wh.gov/RsHZ</a></div>
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So that was Thursday</div>
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We got our reply today....<br />
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<div class="response-author-org clearfix">
<span class="official">Official White House Response to</span>
<span class="petition-title">Urge Congress to advance federal legislation banning the sale of assault rifles & high capacity magazines.</span>
</div>
<h2 class="title">
A Message from President Obama about Your Petition on Reducing Gun Violence</h2>
By Bruce Reed<br />
In the days since the tragedy in Newtown, Americans from all over the
country have called for action to deter mass shootings and reduce gun
violence. Hundreds of thousands of you have signed petitions on the
White House's We the People petitions platform.<br />
I'm writing you today to thank you for speaking up, to update you on
an important development, and to encourage you to continue engaging with
the White House on this critical issue.<br />
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First, you should know that President Obama is paying close to
attention to the public response to this tragedy. In fact, he sat down
to record a message specifically for those of you who have joined the
conversation using We the People. Watch it now:<br />
<br />
On Wednesday, the President outlined a series of first steps we can
take to begin the work of ending this cycle of violence. This is what he
said:<br />
<div style="padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; text-align: justify;">
We
know this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and
political divides. And as I said on Sunday night, there's no law or set
of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.
We're going to need to work on making access to mental health care at
least as easy as access to a gun. We're going to need to look more
closely at a culture that all too often glorifies guns and violence. And
any actions we must take must begin inside the home and inside our
hearts.</div>
<div style="padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; text-align: justify;">
But
the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for
doing nothing. The fact that we can't prevent every act of violence
doesn't mean we can't steadily reduce the violence, and prevent the very
worst violence.</div>
Vice President Biden has been asked to work with members of the
Administration, Congress, and the general public to come up with a set
of concrete policy proposals by next month -- proposals the President
intends to push swiftly. The President asked the Vice President to lead
this effort in part because he wrote and passed the 1994 Crime Bill that
helped law enforcement bring down the rate of violent crime in America.
That bill included the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004.<br />
<br />
As the Vice President's Chief of Staff, I'm going to do everything I
can to ensure we run a process that includes perspectives from all sides
of the issue, which is why I wanted to respond to your petition myself.
Two decades ago, as domestic policy adviser in the Clinton White House,
I first worked with Joe Biden as he fought to enact the Crime Bill, the
assault weapons ban, and the Brady Bill. I will never forget what a key
role the voices of concerned citizens like you played in that vital
process.<br />
<br />
The President called on Congress to pass important legislation
"banning the sale of military-style assault weapons," "banning the sale
of high-capacity ammunition clips," and "requiring background checks
before all gun purchases, so that criminals can’t take advantage of
legal loopholes to buy a gun from somebody who won’t take the
responsibility of doing a background check at all."<br />
<br />
An issue this serious and complex isn't going to be resolved with a
single legislative proposal or policy prescription. And let's be clear,
any action we take will respect the Second Amendment. As the President
said:<br />
<br />
<div style="padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; text-align: justify;">
Look,
like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment
guarantees an individual right to bear arms. This country has a strong
tradition of gun ownership that's been handed down from generation to
generation. Obviously across the country there are regional differences.
There are differences between how people feel in urban areas and rural
areas. And the fact is the vast majority of gun owners in America are
responsible -- they buy their guns legally and they use them safely,
whether for hunting or sport shooting, collection or protection.</div>
<div style="padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; text-align: justify;">
But
you know what, I am also betting that the majority -- the vast majority
-- of responsible, law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to
say that we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few
from buying a weapon of war. I'm willing to bet that they don't think
that using a gun and using common sense are incompatible ideas -- that
an unbalanced man shouldn't be able to get his hands on a military-style
assault rifle so easily; that in this age of technology, we should be
able to check someone's criminal records before he or she can check out
at a gun show; that if we work harder to keep guns out of the hands of
dangerous people, there would be fewer atrocities like the one in
Newtown -- or any of the lesser-known tragedies that visit small towns
and big cities all across America every day.</div>
<div style="padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
The President said it best: "Ultimately if this effort is to succeed
it's going to require the help of the American people -- it's going to
require all of you. If we're going to change things, it's going to take a
wave of Americans -- mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, pastors,
law enforcement, mental health professionals -- and, yes, gun owners --
standing up and saying 'enough' on behalf of our kids."<br />
So let's continue this conversation and get something meaningful
done.<br />
<br />
If you have additional ideas and are interested in further
engagement with the White House on this issue, please let us know and
share your thoughts here:<br />
<a class="no-follow" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/share-your-thoughts-reducing-gun-violence">http://www.whitehouse.gov/share-your-thoughts-reducing-gun-violence</a><br />
<br />
Thank you for speaking out and staying involved.<br />
<br />
<i>Bruce Reed is Chief of Staff to Vice President Biden</i></div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-41280625226302985172012-11-28T19:24:00.002-06:002012-11-28T19:24:17.995-06:00The Fiscal Cliff1- Cut military spending<br /><br />2- Increase taxes on households making more than $250,000<br /><br />3- Increase Capital Gains tax<br /><br />4- Cut spending on entitlement programs<br /><br />5- Increase minimum age for Medicare<br /><br />6- Increase minimum age for Social Security<br /><br />7- Eliminate the Bush Tax Cuts entirely <br /><br />8- Reduce Unemployment Benefits<br /><br />9- Make Medicare a voucher system<br /><br />10- Keep Bush Tax Cuts for everybody, and mainly cut spending<br /><br />11-Eliminate Bush Tax cuts for everybody, and lower the spending reduction<br /><br />12- Eliminate Welfare<br /><br />13- Eliminate Food Stamps<br /><br />14-<br /><br />...okay, never mind the next 20 proposals. <br /><br />The
debt reduction negotiations that are taking place are going to involve a
combination of spending cuts and tax increases. At a certain point, I
gotta step back and ask which of these ideas make the most sense, which
make a little sense, and which make no sense. <br /><br />Military spending
is the most obvious, and yet, strangely, is the item the GOP seems most
afraid to cut. They scream and yell about increasing taxes on the
wealthiest Americans, but when it comes to the cliff they seem more
willing to talk about endangering national security by these unthinkable
cuts to the military. It's the thing they want to avoid at all costs.
During one of the Obama/Romney debates, I think it was Bob Schieffer who
said "Look, nobody wants to cut military spending...." and then
proceeded to ask the debaters which other items they think are most
likely to be addressed.<br /><br />Wait just a second Bob.<br /><br />I want to
cut military spending, and not just this measly $60billion that is
currently on the table. I want to cut military spending by
$200-$300billion. Everyone wants to talk about the $17trillion debt as
if it's something we've all gotten ourselves into, when the reality is,
if we hadn't been unnecessarily building up our military since the end
of the Cold War in 1988, we'd have a national debt that would be many
trillions of dollars less. Many trillions. If we figure in GW Bush's 2
unfunded wars which, by most accounts will top $2trillion by the time we
fix everything we blew up (<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/stiglitz200804" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank" title="more like $3tillion">more like $3tillion</a>
if we believe people like Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes), and then
figure in the $500-$750billion we've been spending every fucking year
for the last couple of decades, and then add to that the newfangled
Homeland Security budget of $50billion or so per year since 9/11, ...<br /><br />We
spend more on our military than the next 9 members of the Top 10
combined. If we cut $300billion from our defense budget, we'd still be
spending 4 times as much as the next closest country, China. FOUR TIMES
as much as China!<br /><br />I'm all for lowering our national debt, and the
interest that we have to pay on it, but seriously, until we accept the
fact that we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars per year more
than we really need to spend, it's really doesn't make any sense (to me)
that we should begin targeting any other government spending. It's got
to start with the military, or we're throwing our own citizens; poor,
sick, homeless, unemployed, ...under the bus so that we can keep
supplying the insatiable appetite of the Pentagon, the military
contractors, and their buddies in Congress.<br /><br />To anyone who tells me that cutting $200-$300billion from the <strike>defens</strike>e
offense budget will add a load of people to the ranks of the
unemployed, I say that's the problem. We have allowed the military to
become such a huge part of who we are as a nation that we've got
millions of people depending on the inertia of these massive budgets to
keep their jobs. <br /><br />So Lockheed Martin has to lay off a few
thousand people. They're smart. They'll find jobs. So what if the people
who make Tomahawk missiles have to reduce their workforce? What have
these people done to help our economy? How exactly does a bunch of new
cruise missile orders help us get out of debt? We need to stop being a
military with a government and go back to being a government with a
military again. The sooner we reduce the influence of the military on
our overall budget, the better. And I say there's no time like the
present. The Fiscal Cliff? Yeah, we're heading for one alright, and the
best way to stop a plunge over the edge is to start making some fucking
sense out of how our government spends our money. <br /><br />Who would still say that dumping a couple of trillion dollars into Iraq and Afghanistan was worth it?<br /><br />That's money spent now, and there's no way to get it back.<br /><br />However,
there is a way to make sure we don't repeat those mistakes, and that is
to make it a lot more difficult for these vampires to piss through more
money than any human being can even comprehend. Time for the military
to get a haircut I say,...a big one. Then, and only then, should we
start worrying about how much we're all willing to chip in to keep our
old folks cared for.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-51650789392347293812012-11-07T11:50:00.000-06:002012-11-07T11:50:24.705-06:00SchadenfreudeI can't help it.<br /><br />I guessed correctly on 49 out of 50 states. I missed Florida. Easy to say I just copied Nate Silver's forecast, but that would be lying. Every damned state went the way I thought except Florida. <br /><br />Really not that hard to do, all it took was a glance at the 2008 electoral map. What has changed in the last 4 years? Which state changed demos? If we could jump forward to 2016 or 2020, I'm pretty sure there will be a blue border around the eastern and western shores of the country, a blue splotch around the Great Lakes, and red everywhere in the middle. Florida might flip back and forth, and maybe Colorado or Nevada, but the rest of the country is going to stay the way it is right now. <br /><br />And that's a loser for the GOP. It could be argued that it will only get worse as the Hispanic population grows, but it's certainly not going to get any better for the Republicans. <br /><br />That is a party in decline. <br /><br />Which is why they're all talking about expanding the base this morning. -It's time to be more inclusive! We need to reach out to Hispanics! We need to broaden the base!- Gee, ya think?<br /><br />Not that I disagree with them, but what does it say that such a realization comes only after first trying, once again, to control the government by way of old white racist people, primarily old white racist men? Now you're going to pivot? Now you're going to say "Hey, we were wrong. We really do want all of you centrists, indies, Hispanics, gays, African Americans, pro-choicers, evolutionists, atheists, voters who worry about the environment and climate change, Asians,...even the Irish!"- <br /><br />It's too late for that now. Because they don't want those voters. They want their votes, but they don't want the voters themselves. Sure, they'll try to tweak the platform a little to seem more inviting, but it's all bullshit. They want to stay the way they are. And their stubborn refusal to drag their sorry asses into the 21st century is why they're in decline, and will continue in decline. They won't attract votes from the groups I just listed.<br />
<br />
Those groups of voters have heard years, decades, of rhetoric from the GOP about what's wrong with them, about why they're not real Americans. Suddenly the GOP is going to throw open the flaps to the tent, pay some lip service to being more inclusive, and expect a crowd of black homosexual atheists to come rushing in? <br /><br />They're arguing this morning about what went wrong. They're accepting the fact that the tent needs to enlarge, but they still don't understand why. They're trying to figure out a way to gain millions of new voters without changing the basic message of the party. They still think that the United States belongs to the upper income white people, and it's just a matter of figuring out a way to appear attractive to enough new voters to swing the balance of power back in their favor. And it'll never happen.<br />
<br />
And that's where the schadenfreude really comes in.<br />
<br />
Fuck Mitch McConnell. Fuck John Boehner. Fuck Paul Ryan, and fuck Mitt Romney. I love the fact that they're miserable this morning. It's deserved. They're also big losers.<br />
<br />
There's a special place in hell for the shithead conservatives in the media too. For years they've been acting as if their fucked up views on social issues are mainstream. Maybe not overwhelmingly popular, but reflective of a very large percentage of the views of the American population. And they're wrong. I have many self-described conservative friends, and none of them talk about "liberals" they way Sean Hannity does, the way Rush Limbaugh does, the way Ann Coulter does. Asshole like these have been, almost by default, recognized as spokespersons for the conservative movement-if there even is such a thing- and by association the conservative voters have been tainted. The divisive, inflammatory rhetoric that has been spewing from the maws of these people for years, decades, is largely responsible for the deterioration of serious political discourse. They have no counterparts on the left.<br />
<br />
For years I've been taking issue with the binary thinking of conservative good-liberal evil, and the counter-argument as well. I do not believe that conservatives are evil. I believe that the assholes like Limbaugh who have been recognized as the spokespersons are, indeed, evil. They have gotten rich on polarizing this country, and because they're a bunch of fucking hucksters, they couldn't care less if they've fucked up the conversation with strawmen arguments and plain old hate-speech.<br />
<br />
They're war profiteers.<br />
<br />
When I hear Limbaugh lecture his listeners on the "liberal agenda" and "gay agenda" and the "feminazi movement" I can only shake my head in wonder. How in the hell is this guy taken seriously? Do people not realize he's selling snake oil?<br />
<br />
Well, it's reckoning day for the shitbag losers who ave added nothing constructive to the dialogue. The American people took their best shots- a billion dollars worth of hateful attack advertisements and outright lies about Barack Obama and the evil liberal agenda- years and years of hateful rhetoric about their political opponents- and they have rejected the message. If they haven't figured that out by now, they are in for a very bad 4 years, and 40 more after that. It's over you fucking losers. This country has had enough hyper-partisan flame-throwing. We do not want to look at people whose politics differ from our own as our enemy. We have work to do, and we won't get anything done if we continue to follow the lead of the fucking people who sell hatred.<br />
<br />
And that brings me to Karl Rove. Last night's biggest loser.<br />
<br />
I know I've just ranted about the need to chill out on the nasty rhetoric, but I hate this man with every fiber of my being. I thought he was extinct already, thanks to his association with George W Bush, but he wasn't extinct. He played a much larger role in this election than some people realize. He was the mover behind uniting the Kochs, and Sandy Adelson, and a few other gajillionaire dickwads who thought they could buy the White House and take over the entire country by way of American Crossroads, the SuperPac which supplanted the RNC, thanks to <i>Citizens United</i>. Rove had a Hitler-like vision of a Republican Reich which would last for centuries. All he needed to do was prop Mitt Romney up there, win the Electoral College by way of stealing Ohio, and his sinister fucking plan could be put into action.<br />
<br />
And that's why this demonic motherfucker was melting down before our very eyes on Fox News last night. Like Randolph Duke at margin call, Rove wanted those machines turned back on. He wanted Jon Husted, his henchman Secretary of State in Ohio, to somehow dig up 150,000 more votes from Cuyahoga County and Hamilton County. He needed that state's votes, no matter how he got them, so that he could launch his long term game plan of Republican domination for the next 50 years. Without Ohio, he knew he was doomed. Without Ohio, Karl Rove knew he faced extinction. And like Hitler, after the invasion of the Soviet Union in the winter of 1941 had turned the tide against him, Rove refused to accept his own defeat and his imminent demise. How is this possible? I spent a billion dollars of Super Pac money. I played this hand perfectly. How can this election not go my way?<br />
<br />
Well it didn't go Karl's way The reason Mitt Romney waited an hour and a half to concede defeat after Ohio had fallen for Obama was Karl Rove. I have no doubt that Rove called his hatchet-man Ed Gillespie, and told him to forbid Mitt Romney from conceding. But then Virginia went for Obama. And then Colorado. And it became clear that even if Rove had somehow been able to steal Ohio's electoral votes, Obama still had the necessary 270.<br />
<br />
And so, when I watched a red-eyed Mitt Romney take the stage last night for his final speech as a politician, it wasn't Romney I was thinking of, it was Karl Rove. In half-heartedly wishing Barack Obama luck in his next term as president, Mitt Romney was really bidding farewell, on behalf of the American people, to Rove.<br />
<br />
Karl Rove's career as a political kingmaker is over, and we're all better off now. The country, and our government, have finally been unburdened. We are rid of that evil man forever, and to that I say good riddance.<br />
<br />
<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-16386787447490993272012-08-25T22:32:00.002-05:002012-08-26T14:34:43.480-05:00If you believe they put a man on the Moon<br />
<div>
<img height="326" src="http://johneaves.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/apollo_11.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<br />
I
was 10. Prime age for a kid utterly jazzed by the idea of humans in
space. Actually my first memory of the US manned space program was
probably sometime during Gemini, and my first lasting memory is of
Grissom, Chaffee, and White burning up on the pad while testing the
Block I Command Module on Apollo I.<br />
<br />
I remember Wally Schirra
commanding the first Apollo flight after the fire. That was nervous
time, just like the first Shuttle launch after Challenger. There was no
"Go with throttle-up" with Apollo, so the launch itself, the liftoff,
was the first sigh of relief, and splash was good stuff too. I look back
on some of my old videos of the program and marvel at how young
everyone looks.<br />
<br />
I've written before about being a kid growing up
in Chicago in 1968, and what it was like to have a year go from Martin,
to Bobby, to Grant Park, to the Democratic Convention, and then finally
to Apollo 8, with Borman, Anders, & Lovell reading from Genesis as
they circled the Moon. Early on in the mission, after taking it around
the Earth a few times, Borman hit the throttle, and for the first time
in human history, 3 guys escaped the effects of Earth's gravity
completely. I was fucking spellbound. Agape. Agog. Somebody sent Borman a
postcard after the mission that said "Thanks, you guys saved 1968."
I've always liked that, even though Borman's kind of a dick. Correction,
a gigantic dick.<br />
<br />
Anyway, in the middle of my (then) beloved Cubs
running away with the NL East, and in the middle of the summer of 4th
grade, we loaded Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Mike Collins
onto Apollo 11 and shot them at the Moon.<br />
<br />
What can be said about
Apollo 11 that hasn't already been said? A lifelong love affair between
me and the space program had begun. I read voraciously. I have hours and
hours and hours of video from missions starting with Mercury and
carrying up to Curiosity landing a Mars a couple of weeks ago.<br />
<br />
If
I had to say which accounting is my favorite, it's easy..."Carrying the
Fire" by Michael Collins. You can have Jules Bergman, and Cronkite, and
all the other people who tried their best to impart what was going on
with this business of putting people in space, and they get in line
behind Collins.<br />
<br />
In his book Mike speaks most (understandably)
about his own role in the Apollo 11 mission, but he spends considerable
time analyzing Buzz and Neil as well. In the later, re-release of Mike's
book, updated, he spends the last section breaking down the roster of
active and retired astros of note. He goes pretty hard at Buzz,
expressing some sadness that he'd struggled with alcoholism and
depression, and he makes a point both here and in the early edition of
pointing out what a pain in the ass Buzz was leading up to, and to a
lesser extent during the mission itself.<br />
<br />
As soon as they lifted
off, staged, and reached Earth orbit, their checklist was like
somebody's idea of a Lucille Ball sketch. There was more stuff to do
than time allowed, and Buzz, apparently, was going rather slowly and
fucking around with unimportant stuff. Mike finally snapped at him a
little bit, and then it was back to business. Buzz pulled his head out
of his ass.<br />
<br />
Neil Armstrong on the other hand was never a problem. Absolute efficiency, and a mind like a computer, according to Collins. <br />
<br />
The
stories have all been told about Neil by now, and they'll be retold in
the next few days. Neil went down the ladder first because he was the
commander, because the hatch was situated closer to him, and because
Buzz had pissed off Deke Slayton by politicking behind the scenes and
going "over Deke's head" to George Low, for a decision about who'd go
down the ladder first. Deke solved that problem by calling Neil and Buzz
into his office and stating "Buzz, I understand you spoke to George
about the order of EVA. Okay, here's the deal...Neil goes out first. It
just makes more sense, and besides, he's the commander, ...okay fellas?"<br />
<br />
Neil
sparkled on Lunar descent. He never hesitated, and took over from the
computer when it became overloaded. (I think they had 16meg of memory or
something.) Little under 30 seconds of descent fuel when they touched
down, but Buzz says he'd bet everything he owned that Neil would have
ignored that abort order and landed anyway.<br />
<br />
"Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed."<br />
<br />
"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."<br />
<br />
"Roger
Houston, understand we're #1 on the runway." (when they were cleared to
take off from the Moon and rendezvous with Collins in Columbia.)<br />
<br />
Three pretty nice quotes, and the last one is about as close as Neil Armstrong would ever come to cracking a joke while working.<br />
<br />
And that was it. <br />
<br />
No more Neil Armstrong.<br />
<br />
Oh
sure, the trip home was exciting, and the parades, but for the most
part as soon as Eagle lifted off from the lunar surface, Neil
Armstrong's journey stopped taking place in public.<br />
<br />
A total
professional for his entire career. A classic overachiever. And, as I
mentioned on Facebook, a role model for any parent who wanted to use an
example to teach their kids.<br />
<br />
If anyone in the history of mankind
could have cashed in fame, and became obscenely wealthy, it was Neil
Armstrong. I still sit in wonder of the guy. No self-aggrandizing and
self-marketing like Al Shepard. No politics like Glenn. Neil went home
to his life. He didn't become a total recluse of course, and he spent
most of the 2nd part of his life doing what he truly enjoyed, teaching.<br />
<br />
Fuckers today could learn a lesson from Neil.<br />
<br />
In
this age of media generated celebrities, stupid people making stupid
money on stupid TV shows, overpaid athletes behaving badly,
gajillionaire movie stars pretending like they actually deserve to be
gajillionaires,...a guy like Neil Armstrong would seem like a chump for
not cashing in. But that was never his way, and I'm sure he enjoyed the
2nd part of his life as mush as he did the first. And it was a life
adventure that will forever be unique. He was Lewis & Clark. He was
Columbus. He was first, and everybody else came after him. So far we've
had 12 men walk on the Moon, and for the time being that's the number.<br />
<br />
But some day we'll go back, some other astro will walk on the Moon, and some kid will be as amazed as I was. Thanks Neil.<br />
<br /></div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-67902412609399058092012-08-07T13:17:00.001-05:002012-08-07T13:17:45.432-05:00LaRouchebagsThey were there again. The Lyndon LaRouche fans with the card table and
the pamphlets. It's nice that they set up right next to the bank of
drive-thru mailboxes at the Park Ridge post office. You can chat with
them from the comfort of your car.<br /><br />These are the types who put a
face to Ron's post about serious dialog/discussion/debate and the lack
thereof in American society. They will stand there and recite shit that
has been implanted in their vacuous skulls, and if you try to engage
them in any sort of common-sense debate, they glaze over. It's like
talking to a fucking Zombie. They'll look at you, and you'd swear to God
they're hearing the words you're saying, but the second you finish
explaining to them the obvious flaw in their logic, the giant fucking
hand pulls their strings, and the playback of the prerecorded message
begins again.<br /><br />I tried talking to these people a couple of years
ago. I made a serious effort to listen and understand the message they
were preaching at the bank of drive-thru mailboxes at the Park Ridge
post office. I parked the car and walked over with my camera. That put
them on their toes, but since it was just me and them (Notice there are
never any overcrowding issues at LaRouche meetings held in an actual
venue?) they had to talk to me. Sigh. I tried, but I ran out of patience
after just a couple of minutes. The point they were making at the time
was that if the Affordable Care Act was allowed to pass, Barack Obama
would embark on a secret program of killing old people just like Hitler
had done back in Nazi Germany. Program X37 or some goddamned thing I
can't recall and refuse to look up.<br /><br />All I could think to say last time was that they were completely
misguided, misinformed, and were wasting their time in a town like Park
Ridge. (Hometown girl Hillary Clinton might, just might, have carried
the popular vote, but doubtful.)<br />
<br />
They had neat little stacks of literature all glossy and tri-folded,
explaining exactly why Barack Obama was secretly planning to kill old
people, but in order to obtain the real good stuff, they asked for a
donation. (FOUL!!!!) Sorry. No can do.<br /><br />They had the same stuff
out there today, although I think the literature has been updated. I
didn't stop to look. And, they had the same little poster of Barack
Obama with a Hitler mustache hanging from the edge of the card table
along with one that had him made up to look like The Heath Ledger Joker
with the creepy makeup, wicked grin,...you know the pic. Under both
pictures were the stenciled all-caps letters reading "IMPEACH OBAMA!"<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDuh2czg3hjnN_8LpjmrNsJBZgFR4a1ZNi7XmvAP9ooH1olgzqJ5fY5dDn-UVMOgLIu1286ZAbKr7JCdLf7jXTldKjwOq1NWKuRX0CJdqQrrLXfBTj8JdGalDCpA24Q3P8o4jT/s1600/larouche-poster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDuh2czg3hjnN_8LpjmrNsJBZgFR4a1ZNi7XmvAP9ooH1olgzqJ5fY5dDn-UVMOgLIu1286ZAbKr7JCdLf7jXTldKjwOq1NWKuRX0CJdqQrrLXfBTj8JdGalDCpA24Q3P8o4jT/s1600/larouche-poster.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
As I dropped my mail in the box, I leaned out the window and looked back
at them. Catching the second one's eye, he almost looked like he wanted
to tell me about Barack Obama's similarities to Adolf Hitler, I
casually asked him if Adolf Hitler would have allowed his detractors to
set up a card table at a post office, fly posters of Hitler done up in
Jolson-like blackface, and proudly call for his removal from office in
1939 Berlin.<br /><br />"Probably not" said the mentally challenged LaRouchebag.<br /><br />"Ya think?"Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-8967694726396135502012-07-18T17:40:00.000-05:002012-07-20T21:39:34.521-05:00The WhoQuadrophenia came out in 1973, and was popular when I was a freshman in
high school. It reached #2 on the US charts, but was unable to bump
Elton's Yellow Brick Road. That was the highest The Who ever got on the
Billboard album chart. They never had a #1, which I find amazing,
considering Who's Next. I'd been introduced to The Who by my older
brothers by 6th or 7th grade; Tommy and Who's Next were in the album
rotation already. I think back on it now and realize that I grew up with
the Stones, the Who, Zep, the Beatles,...when they were in their 20s.
They seemed older than that, at the time. They seemed so much older than
me. In hindsight, I realize they weren't. I was 14 year old, but the
Beatles were just kids too.<br />
<br />
By 1989 I'd become a hard core Who
fan. If I had to say, The Who got more of my musical attention than any
other band, ever. So I was pretty fucking excited when I heard The Who
were going to tour that summer, The Kids are Alright Tour. Thanks to a
close friend at Northwestern, I learned about something called The
Alpine Valley Music Club. She handed me a brochure at a law school
event, and I just glanced at the thing. Classic double-take, I saw "The
Who"- August- I don't remember the dates...7-8-9....three shows. And
here was the best part....Members of the Alpine Valley Music Club were
given 2 weeks advance availability...2 weeks to buy tickets before they
went on sale to the general public.<br />
<br />
Done. Paid an extra $40 to join the club, just to buy Who tickets. Never used the membership again.<br />
<br />
Moon
was dead by then of course, Kenny Jones was on drums. Ox was still
alive. This was around the same time that Roger rented an apartment at
The Grand Ohio, where I lived, and ....well there's no other way to say
it,....he lived down the hall from me for a few months. He was in town
shooting some movie, for the life of me I can't remember what it was
called...I think he was playing a thief. I only saw him a few times
around the building, once in the elevator, and then he moved out. To be
honest about it, I would have preferred Pete. Now that would have been
cool. (While I think Roger's voice is incomparable and will always be
the sound of The Who, by 1989 it was pretty well trashed.)<br />
<br />
Thanks
to the Alpine Valley Music Club, I had pavilion seats for all 3 shows
that August. Alpine Valley is up in Wisconsin. By winter a baby ski
hill, by summer it's plays and concerts and what not. It's about a 90
minute drive from Chicago. My brother-in-law Eddie, easily the hardest
core of the hard core Who fans, went with me for all 3 shows. Like most
outdoor concert venues, Alpine has actual seats in the front and then a
large slope of grass behind it. Like a big baseball diamond with the
stage being at home plate, seats filling the infield, with a roof over
it, and then the fanning out of the large grass area as the outfield,
and it's all sloped for max visibility to those in the way back. I've
had grass seats at Alpine for other shows, and it's wonderful. Blanket,
candles, cooler, cocktails and snacks. (Like Jack at Ravinia)<br />
<br />
But
for The Who, we were 22 rows up. Assigned seats. The whole deal. At a
perfect level, and the speakers might as well have been pointed at us.
For those who have never attended a Who concert, let alone 3 of them in 3
days, it's worth mentioning that the speakers, the sound system,...it's
loud.<br />
<br />
Very very loud.<br />
<br />
This-One-Goes-To-11 kind of loud.<br />
<br />
I
was not prepared. By the second night, I was considering ear plugs.
There was a persistent ringing in my ears from the first show, and I
still had two to go. I knew about Pete's hearing. Tinnitus. I decided
not to plug my ears, and eventually the ringing went away, but it took
weeks. 3 of the greatest shows I've ever seen. Pink Floyd will always
hold the top spot with the Animals Tour, but The Kids are Alright ain't
far behind. They were on their game, and I'll never forget it for as
long as I live.<br />
<br />
Where was I ? Oh yeah, the last time I saw The
Who. 1989. Since then, Ox blew up his heart with cocaine in 2002, Pete's
had a few issues with the law over questionable material downloaded on
the internet, and Roger's voice is 23 years older. Dude's got wrinkles
that could serve as business card holders. But I'm still a fan.<br />
<br />
And, they're going to do Quadrophenia again. You gotta be shitting me.� <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/chi-the-who-quadrophenia-tour-who-quadrophenia-tour-announced-20120718,0,2734343.column" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank" title="Tickets go on sale July 27th">Tickets go on sale July 27th</a>
for a November 29th show at the Allstate Arena. I can't make up my
mind. I don't know if my ears can take one more night of that.<br />
<br />
Not sure who's on the drum kit, and I don't know who's on bass (although Entwistle is a tough act to follow.) <br />
<br />
I'm 52. Pete Townshend is 67. Roger Daltry is 68.<br />
<br />
Never mind all that "Hope I die before I get old" shit fellas. We're old.<br />
<br />
68 Roger...68....are you sure you want to try this?<br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="360" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/neNlYUu5J0Q?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param>
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/neNlYUu5J0Q?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-60948511144015063732012-07-04T20:34:00.006-05:002012-07-04T21:53:35.409-05:00A Good and Practical Sort of Immortality<br />
<img alt="http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/sontag/images/muir.jpg" height="400" src="http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/sontag/images/muir.jpg" width="307" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>As long as I live, I’ll hear the birds, and the winds, and the
waterfalls sing. I’ll interpret the rocks and learn the language of
flood, and storm, and avalanche. I’ll make the acquaintance of the wild
gardens and the glaciers, and get as near to the heart of this world as I
could. And so I did. I sauntered about from rock to rock, from grove to
grove, from stream to stream, and whenever I met a new plant, I would
sit down beside it for a minute or a day to make its acquaintance, hear
what it had to tell. I asked the boulders where they had been, whither
they were going and, when night found me, there I camped. I took no more
heed to save time or to make haste than did the trees or the stars.
This is true freedom, a good and practical sort of immortality.</i><br />
<br />
~John Muir~<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBpXzSzeStRD22GLaQlJlLN-EKy_HsB3jathSSXzGk6u0ZgvwCYWE0i_igP2Av9o_HX55pklegL-yjIti6Q3C2KtIDceLSDrDTSrnWUaOg27uh5TQkNsZbg6g53A1fOedFxfw/s1600/grcalarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBpXzSzeStRD22GLaQlJlLN-EKy_HsB3jathSSXzGk6u0ZgvwCYWE0i_igP2Av9o_HX55pklegL-yjIti6Q3C2KtIDceLSDrDTSrnWUaOg27uh5TQkNsZbg6g53A1fOedFxfw/s400/grcalarge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-30242747899616318572012-06-21T13:39:00.003-05:002012-06-21T13:39:36.363-05:00The Nuns on the Bus go 'round and 'roundThe holy terror show known as The Nuns on the Bus rolled into Chicago
yesterday. They're pissed at US Rep Joe Walsh (R-Il) among other people,
and they trucked it out to the northwest town of Fox Lake to give Walsh
a good old fashioned verbal thrashing.<br /><br />As soon as I read that the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-nuns-on-the-bus-20120620,0,6749099.story" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank" title="Nuns on the Bus">Nuns on the Bus</a> were in town I knew there'd be trouble. Nuns and trouble go hand in hand.<br /><br />I
thought back to 5th grade, and I broke out in a cold sweat. It was like
being there again. Towering over me was a giant Emperor Penguin (it was
the late 60s, when nuns still wore the whole tuxedo complete with
winged headgear), Sister Margaret Ann. I tell ya she was 9 foot tall if
she was an inch, and tipped the scales somewhere around 3 spins. She had
a fairly full mustache for a woman, and her forearm hair was as black
as coal. Her teeth were like Chiclets, and I once joked that she could
eat corn on the cob through a picket fence. A frightening presence who
smelled like coffee and chalk.<br /><br />"The Immaculate Conception? Yes sister, it means that Mary was still a virgin when baby Jesus was born."<br /><br />"NEIN!!!"
she screamed, and small bits of asbestos insulation fell from the
ceiling of old St. Mike's. "It refers to the fact that Mary was born
without Original Sin!! It refers to the conception of Mary herself, by
her mother, Saint Anne!!"<br /><br />I knew right then and there that I was
fucked proper. No chance of making it to heaven now. I've carried that
knowledge with me for about 40 years, both the knowledge of what the
Immaculate Conception means, and the fact that I was going to spend
eternity in a bubbling pool of molten nickel, with the smell of
brimstone burning my nostrils.<br /><br />When the Nuns on The Bus reached Fox Lake, they were met by about a hundred or so people, including the staff of Rep Walsh.<br /><br />It's
worth noting that Joe Walsh is a gigantic dildo. He's had a rather
messy divorce play out in our papers, and he's got about $100,000 worth
of back child-support payments. In court, I recall reading that Walsh
told the judge that he and his ex-wife had a "verbal agreement" that he
didn't have to pay child support. Judge didn't buy it. I think they've
settled recently, perhaps partially, but it's not worth looking up.
Suffice to say, Joe Walsh is a typical bullshit politician who says one
thing and does another. He's real popular with the Tea Party types out
in Fox Lake, a quaint little cracker haven that for a long time held the
distinction: US town with the most bars per capita. I think it was
something like 3 bars for every citizen of Fox Lake.<br /><br />So it was
with great surprise that I read Rep Walsh's comments yesterday in the
Trib. While he disagrees with the nuns on certain political issues, such
as how to serve the neediest among us, and how best to help the poor,
he maintains a high level of respect for the penguins.<br /><br />"As an
Irish Catholic boy, I always genuflect at a nun," Walsh said. You're a
what who does what? I'm one of those, and I never did that. I don't know
where Joe would have been doing all that kneeling, because he went to
Barrington High School (very rich, very white, very public school where
they don't genuflect) and then prestigious Grinnell College, where they
also don't genuflect.<br /><br />I've heard stories of the good old days
when the penguins carried those little click-clack click-clack things,
which when click-clacked announced the call for all to genuflect, but
Walsh is 2 years younger than me, and neither of us grew up in that sort
of pre-Vatican II atmosphere. And again, Walsh didn't even attend
Catholic school as a yoot, so it's likely he saw nuns once a week at
most, on Sunday. Maybe. Even then, he didn't genuflect to the nuns,
before the nuns, or..in the bizarre verbiage of Rep Walsh, at the nuns.
That was sort of the tell for me that Walsh was kissing arse to the Nuns
on the Bus. His use of the word "at." It could be argued that one
genuflects "at" mass, or "at" the altar, but that's not directional
genuflection, but rather locational. <br /><br />One doesn't genuflect to nuns, one doesn't genuflect before nuns, and one never genuflects "at" a nun. <br /><br />If
that was Sister Margaret Ann, and Walsh had said that he "genuflects at
nuns", she'd have thrown his Tea Party loving, no child support paying,
adulterous ass under her bus.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ujxDA9VsQG4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-21019235107635339922012-05-29T21:49:00.000-05:002012-05-29T21:49:29.948-05:00The donaldIt's getting so bad that I find it an effort to capitalize his name.<br /><br />I'd
like to wonder how this clown ever achieved any level of notoriety, but
I've been part of the problem for years. There's something almost
irresistible to me about someone acting or speaking as an authority on
something, anything really, when it's perfectly clear that the voice of
authority is really just a mighty wind. <br /><br />I love watching a huckster in action. Puffery, and self-promotion, and pure unadulterated bullshitting is funny to watch.<br /><br />There's
magic afoot when you have a Meatloaf, a Gary Busey, and a Joan Rivers
on one side of a boardroom table, desperately pleading their cases to
Donald Trump, flanked by two of his insufferable progeny. It's
positively surreal. What would it be like to actually work for the
bloviating self-promoting mountain of shit that is Donald Trump? Lou
Ferigno was damned near weeping after Trump fired him. Charity
schmarity, they're crying because they got shamed by the world famous
for being world famous Donald F-ing Trump. <br /><br />Yeah, he
went to Fordham, and then Wharton, and he has a bachelor's in economics.
He also had a wealthy father who greased the skids for his son's
entrance into the world of commercial real estate. Not sure whether it
was Fordham, Wharton, or Fred Trump....but someone apparently taught
Donald how to go bankrupt on multiple occasions. His Trump Entertainment
Resorts filed for Chapter 11 just 3 years ago.<br /><br />And yet, Donald
Trump is sold as a genius businessman. He sells himself as a genius
businessman. Just ask him, and he'll tell you "I'm a genius
businessman."<br /><br />A genius businessman who somehow figured out a way to bankrupt a fucking casino.<br /><br />I thought that was mathematically impossible.<br /><br />But
that didn't stop me from tuning in and watching Trump's "Celebrity
Apprentice." That show is one of the absolutely perfect things in this
world. It is perfect bullshit. Everything about "Celebrity Apprentice"
is bullshit. The celebrities are bullshit, the tasks are bullshit, the
rules are bullshit, the scoring is bullshit, and the boardroom is
bullshit. Everyone is completely full of shit. They're bullshitting each
other and they're bullshitting Trump. Trump is bullshitting them and
he's bullshitting the audience, and it's all just so wonderfully
bullshitty.<br /><br />But it's all in fun.<br /><br />Because Donald Trump is bullshit.<br /><br />Everything
about Donald Trump is phony from his wealth, to his business acumen, to
his word in business transactions, to his taste in palaces with solid
gold fireplace dragons.<br /><br />Everyone knows Trump isn't the heavyweight he tries to portray.<br /><br />There
are people in this country whose wealth dwarfs little Donald Trump's,
even during his non-Chapter 11 cycles. There are serious business titans
out there who snicker at Donald Trump.<br /><br />There are grad students who know more about business than Donald Trump.<br /><br />Late
in the guilty pleasure of film that is "The Quick and The Dead," The
Kid (Leo DeCaprio) stands in the middle of the street and chides the
townspeople for being so afraid of Herod (Gene Hackman), the guy who
happens to run the town and who also happens to be The Kid's father.<br /><br />"The
gunfight is in the head, not in the hands," barks The Kid to the people
gathered to watch the showdown. "The only reason he's invincible is
because you all believe he's invincible."<br /><br />Herod proceeds to kill The Kid in their gunfight, which sort of defeats The Kid's point, but you take my meaning...<br /><br />The
only reason Donald Trump is perceived to be a shaker and mover in
American politics is the same reason he is seen as a brilliant business
mind....because we let him pretend to be. We fool ourselves into
believing that Trump is a genius even though even a cursory
investigation reveals Trump's ineptness in black and white. Red ink.
Losses. BK. Borrowed money. Big Shell Game. House of Cards. Paper wealth
that changes with the breeze. <br /><br />Yet nobody wants to stand up and say, "Hey
Donald, you're a fucking huckster who plasters his name on gold leaf
toilet paper. You're a joke." <br /><br />Probably because it's all fun and
games and who gives a shit if people want to buy $4million condos in one
of his architecturally heinous creations right?<br /><br />Well now Trump
has doubled down, and gone the Joe Arpaio route. Never mind the fact
that when Barack Obama made public his birth certificate last year,
Donald Trump wiped the egg off his face and told everyone how proud his
was to be the guy who "finally got this out of the way." <br /><br />He took credit. <br /><br />Obama's birth certificate made Trump so proud. <br /><br />Last year.<br /><br />This
year, Trump thinks the birth cert is fishy, and he told Wolf Blitzer
that he knows many,many,many,many other people who think it's a fishy
document too (like Arpaio, no names given by Trump of cour$e.) He thinks
that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, and that the birth announcement in
the Honolulu paper back in 1961 was part of a large conspiracy that
culminated with Barack Obama being elected president.<br /><br />I'm calling bullshit on Donald Trump.<br /><br />It's just too despicably racist to allow to pass simply because Trump's our silly rich guy, poor guy, rich guy again mascot.<br /><br />Fuck
Donald Trump and fuck Don Jr. & Eric Trump too. We can toss in
Ivonka for good measure and turn the whole thing into a giant incestuous
Trump Production of The Aristocrats for all I care. <br /><br />Enough is enough.<br /><br />Let
this cracker piece of shit own this birther thing. Let it be the thing
that drags his sorry ass down into the bowels of the Rush Limbaugh Level
of the It's Not Funny Anymore Hotel. <br /><br />Donald Trump is clown
shoes, and I will never willingly watch another one of his goddamned
bullshit laden TV shows for as long as I live.<br />
<br />
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</div>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-32255696287617481972012-05-26T13:54:00.002-05:002012-05-26T14:33:22.078-05:00The Galileo Suite awaitsPaolo Gabriele, the pope's butler, is under Vatican house arrest and has
been charged with leaking private files to members of the Italian
media.<br />
<br />
The fucking butler did it! <br />
<br />
The Vatican doesn't have a jail per se, so Gabriele is being held in a "secure room" within the Vatican police department. <br />
<br />
He
faces up to 30 years if convicted, and would serve that time in an
Italian prison per an agreement between the Holy Shit and the Italian
Government.<br />
<br />
Some of the tidbits that Gabriele is alleged to have
leaked include allegations of cronyism within the Holy Walls of the
Holiest Father, and double-dealing behind the scenes by Cardinals and
Bishops and other very very holy people. Power struggles, and inflated
contracts given out to contractor friends of highly placed men of the
cloth. There are also allegations of mismanagement of the Vatican Holy
Bank and Trust. I know, hard to believe really. They seem so holy.<br />
<br />
When
the Pope learned of the leaked information, he ordered an immediate
investigation by the most pious and devout Vatican detectives, who are
easily recognized by their Ray Bans and earbuds. <br />
<br />
While Paolo
Gabriele sits in his secure room, pondering all of the vile shit he's
heard over the years, stories of children being raped by priests,
stories of those same priests being protected from the law by powerful
people within the Vatican, he's gotta be thinking "I didn't expect this
sort of Inquisition."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/world/europe/pope-benedicts-butler-formally-charged-with-leaks.html" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank" title="NOBODY EXPECTS THE INQUISITION!!! ">NOBODY EXPECTS THE INQUISITION!!! </a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-90331219097306026762012-05-14T09:57:00.000-05:002012-05-14T12:14:54.650-05:00The NATO SummitDay 1-<br />
<br />
Monday 5/14/12<br />
<br />
8:30 AM<br />
<br />
Protesters converged on the Prudential Building this morning, with a few
dozen making it past security and up the escalator towards the campaign
office of Barack Obama. They were organized by the Catholic Worker
Movement, presumably a sect of the Workers' Movement of Catholicism
(splitters!) Their message is "a week without Capitalism" and they
passed out Danish in front of the building. The point being,...here have
a breakfast roll with us, we're protesting global capitalism.<br />
<br />
After a brief statement was made by the tall one who calls himself Reg,
the protesters in the lobby filed out in an orderly fashion, however Reg
and a few of his friends who had made it up to a 2nd floor balcony were
taken away in what they call a squadrol, or in 1960s parlance, a Paddy
Wagon.<br />
<br />
The sidewalk people cheered Reg and his comrades, and broke into "This
Little Light of Mine" accompanied by a guy on a a slightly out of tune
Yamaha acoustic guitar, followed by a march east on Randolph where they
paused in front of the Randolph Inn where the people from the Daley
Center go for drinks after work and observed a moment of silence for Reg
and his fellow balcony friends. After that, they proceeded east on
Randolph towards the CTA Blue Line, where they discussed plans for the
afternoon, and where to get more Danish.<br />
<br />
"We welcomed them to NATO," said an unnamed Chicago police lieutenant.
"It was a very calm situation, and nobody even raised their voices
except for Reg, and that's understandable since he was reading the
prepared statement. We weren't forced to pepper spray anybody, and
nobody got their fucking head cracked open with this riot baton because
they didn't give us any lip."Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-75426218452659490702012-05-08T18:04:00.000-05:002012-05-08T18:05:07.445-05:00Coyote Road House"Fucking nurses?"<br />
<br />
"Yeah."<br />
<br />
"Why?"<br />
<br />
"Because they wanted to exercise their Constitutional rights."<br />
<br />
"No, I mean why not."<br />
<br />
"Why not what?"<br />
<br />
"Why did they pull the nurses' permit?"<br />
<br />
"Because Rahm Emanuel wants to flex his muscles early."<br />
<br />
"What difference does it make, which route they take?"<br />
<br />
"Look, they were going to march from the Sheraton, on Illinois just north of The River, and wind up at the Daley Center."<br />
<br />
"That's where they have that Picasso thing right?"<br />
<br />
"That's right Elwood...."<br />
<br />
"No it was Jake. He'd just gotten out of Joliet."<br />
<br />
"Fuck
you. That's right Jake, it's where they have that Picasso. They were
going top march from the Sheraton, ya know, where Bill Clinton fucked
all those chicks in '96... while the Convention was going on over at The
Stadium."<br />
<br />
"You mean the United Center."<br />
<br />
"Fuck you. It's The Stadium. I won't help those pricks advertise their airline."<br />
<br />
"What does this have to do with nurses?"<br />
<br />
"National Nurses United was going to march on Friday..."<br />
<br />
"This Friday?"<br />
<br />
"...no
Mr. Tangential McSidebar. Next Friday. I try to think in advance a
little bit, especially about shit like this NATO clusterfuck. Ask
anybody, I've been badmouthing this thing for months. Anyway, the nurses
were going to march from the Sheraton, up there just north of The
River, down into the heart of The Loop, and their march was going to end
at the Daley Center...where they have the fuckin' Picasso. They had
permission from Transportation."<br />
<br />
"What happened?"<br />
<br />
"City
pulled the permit today. Told the nurses that they couldn't wind up at
the Daley Center, which is funny , because it's named after the guy who
told the cops, his cops, to beat the fuck out of protesters back in
'68...or is that ironic?"<br />
<br />
"Why?"<br />
<br />
"Tom Morello."<br />
<br />
"Who?"<br />
<br />
"Tom
Morello from Rage Against The Machine. He was added as a speaker, and
they city thinks the crowd might be too big now for the front yard of
the Daley Center...over at Randolph and State, which is funny because
Daley's political organization.... that's Daley The Boss, not Daley The
Retarded Son....Daley The Boss had a political organization here that
many have referred to over the years as "The Machine" so it's, ya know
funny, or, ironic, because they're worried about a guy Raging Against
The Machine."<br />
<br />
"They pulled the permit?"<br />
<br />
"Well, kinda. They
told National Nurses United that they can't take that route. Now
they have to march from the Sheraton, only as far west as Michigan Ave.
and then they have them going south and ending up near the Petrillo Band Shell,
which is in Grant Park."<br />
<br />
"Grant Park?"<br />
<br />
"Yeah, which is
funny because that's where Daley and the 'Nam protesters had a little
skirmish near Spearman and Bowman in '68, or is that, you know..."<br />
<br />
"Ironic?"<br />
<br />
<br />
"Right. And it's also right near where Barack Obama gave his acceptance
speech back in November of '08. I remember that night very clearly. It
was gorgeous out. It was like,..65 degrees instead of the normal 30.
Yeah. people were happy in Grant Park that night. Now these nurses, and
the ACLU, are suing the city over the fucking thing because they don't
want to be bumped over to the lakefront near the opening scene for
Married With Children."<br />
<br />
"Buckingham Fountain. Love and Marriage."<br />
<br />
"Right.
And that's just Friday. That's just the National Nurses United. Just
wait until the real NATO shit starts up on Saturday and Sunday. They'll
be thanking God that Obama pulled the G8 shit over to Camp David.""Are
you going?"<br />
<br />
"No. I'm leaving the city. Actually I've had
reservations at a fabulous campground up in Manitowoc County since last
fall, but it sounds more dramatic when I say "I'm leaving the city" as
if I'm getting out before the hunter gatherers take control. I'm glad
I'm not going to be here though. Fuck this noise."<br />
<br />
"I wonder why
they made them move the gathering place to Grant Park, seriously. Do you
really think it's because of the potential crowd?"<br />
<br />
"Maybe. Or
maybe it's because it's right across the street from Rahm's office and
he wants to make this his opening "Fuck you, I run this place" gesture.
Either way, I'm planning on having nice quiet weekend camping in the
woods of Wisconsin, and maybe I'll make it up to Bailey's Harbor. A
buddy of mine tells me I need to check out the steak sandwich at the
Coyote Road House."Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-39543504815685800822012-05-04T13:42:00.001-05:002012-05-05T10:19:12.288-05:00Epic Hail<object height="315" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m_E3jiYszqI?version=3&hl=en_US">
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<br />
<br />
The hail storm that hit Chicago came in two waves, the first of which lasted a minute and a half. The second one lasted more like 8 minutes, which may not seem like a long time but felt like a half an hour. I posted this shit on my YouTube page and within a day the 2 vids got over 500 views. WeatherNation.Net contacted me and asked for permission to broadcast them in "various cities around the country" to which I naturally said "Sure, for $5000." They declined, so I relented and surrendered my copyrights to all content.
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<object height="315" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eB-FALDlsqA?version=3&hl=en_US">
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<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-38260521802737118442012-04-17T13:50:00.000-05:002012-04-17T13:50:02.523-05:00Different Chicago Blackhawks<object data="http://www.myfoxchicago.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=11212" height="520" id="video" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500"><param value="http://www.myfoxchicago.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=11212" name="movie"/>
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<a href="http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/military-blackhawks-circle-downtown-skies-honing-urban-battle-skills-chicago-20120416">Blackhawks Circle Low Through Chicago Skies as Secret Service Releases Security Details: MyFoxCHICAGO.com</a></div>
<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-23980881536728098992012-04-07T15:07:00.000-05:002012-04-07T20:15:42.850-05:00The Death of David KoschmanOn April 25, 2004 a 21 year old from Mount Prospect was in the Loop with a few friends getting shitfaced on Rush Street. By all accounts, David Koschman had an encounter with Richard "R.J." Vanecko outside of a bar at around 3AM.<br />
<br />
Koschman, being a 21 year old suburban kid, shitfaced, was likely out of his comfort zone down there. Maybe he'd been there a few times, but he was no grizzled vet of the early hours outside The Lodge or Mother's. Been there, done that. The entire Division St., State St., Rush St., region is still alive at 3AM. They don't roll up the sidewalks at closing time. There are plenty of jacked up, liquored up & coked up revelers who are about halfway through their night at 3AM down in that zone.<br />
<br />
So it's not what would you call a freak occurrence when a shitfaced 21 year old suburban guy, feeling a little Liquid Loop Courage decides he wants to show that he has big shoulders too. Been there, done that. Maybe it's the creepy glow from those energy saving streetlights; it makes you feel like you're in some sort of alternate night world. Or maybe it's the knowledge that you're wandering through the modern equivalent of a row of Old West saloons. It's all bars, hotels, restaurants, boutiques, ...but at 3AM, all the action is around the bars and out on the sidewalks.<br />
<br />
By all accounts, during the encounter between David Koschman and Richard Vanecko, Koschman wound up being either pushed or punched by Vanecko, causing him to fall and hit his head on the sidewalk/curb/pavement.<br />
<br />
Actually, that's by most accounts. Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's office thinks that it's possible that Koschman was neither pushed nor punched, and perhaps somehow wound up slamming his head on the sidewalk/curb/pavement without any assistance.<br />
<br />
Anyway, within hours of taking their first call about the punch-out on Rush St., the Chicago police stopped investigating the Koschman vs Vanecko bout.<br />
<br />
They re-opened their investigation 11 days later, on May 6th, when David Koschman died of massive brain injury suffered when his head slammed the sidewalk on Rush.<br />
<br />
They closed their investigation on May 20th, when friends of David Koschman were unable to pick David's assailant from a lineup. <br />
<br />
David's mother, Nanci Koschman, spent the next 7 years trying to get the case re-opened, to no avail. Then she approached the Chicago Sun-Times, who last January asked the Chicago police if they could have a look at the files on Koschman's case.<br />
<br />
Nanci Koschman has been saying for some time that there was a cover-up within the Chicago police and/or the Cook County State's Attorney's office. She thinks the cops and prosecutors have kept the files buried and the case closed in order to protect Richard R.J. Vanecko.<br />
<br />
Why would they do that?...you may ask.<br />
<br />
Some suppose that they might do that because Richard Vanecko is the nephew of Richard J. "Richie the Corrupt" Daley. Richie was Chicago's mayor on the night in question.<br />
<br />
So when the Sun-Times began snooping in January of last year, the Chicago police re-opened the case and conducted their own review. Then-Police Superintendent Jody Weis turned the thing over to Detective James Gilger. Gilger completed his investigation and on March 1, announced that David Koschman died as a result of his being punched by Richard Vanecko, which caused him to fall backward and hit his head on the ground.<br />
<br />
In the same announcement, Gilger said that Vanecko had acted in self-defense.<br />
<br />
Oh and, by the way, David Koschman was 5'5"- 140 lbs, and Richard RJ Vanecko is 6'3" and 230.<br />
<br />
And he's Richie Daley's nephew.<br />
<br />
A few weeks later, on March 24, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said that she thinks an independent investigator should look into the Koschman case. ( Rahm Emanuel had taken over the big chair on the 5th Floor at 121 N. LaSalle a month earlier.) She wrote to the Illinois State police ""Some witnesses now suggest that the versions of events attributed to the in CPD (Chicago Police Department) reports from 2004 were not accurate."<br />
<br />
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<br />
At the same time, Alvarez said that there was no conflict of interest within her office, that she had handled the case like she would any other, and that family ties had nothing to do with anything.<br />
<br />
Which is funny because it's pure bullshit.<br />
<br />
Family ties have everything to do with anything and anyone remotely related to the Daley family, and one of those people connected to Daley is Vanecko.<br />
<br />
Another is Jody Weis. Daley appointed him to the Police Superintendent gig, and for his entire tenure, the rank and file cops hated Jody Weis. They considered him unfit for the job. Out of his league. One of Daley's lackeys. (**EDITED: Weis was not Chicago Police Superintendent back in 2004. Daley appointed him in 2008, and he served until last year.)<br />
<br />
Another is Anita Alvarez. She's politically connected to Daley. They're buddies. Richie used to be the Cook County State's Attorney, as he was in 1986 when his office hired Anita Alvarez, and he's got connections up the ass in that office to this very day. Been there, done that too.<br />
<br />
And, Alvarez still employs Darren O'Brien, the assistant state's attorney who decided 8 years ago that there was insufficient evidence to charge Richard Vanecko with a crime in the death of David Koschman.<br />
<br />
In January of this year, Nanci Koschman asked Cook County Judge Michael Toomin to appoint a special prosecutor to the case.<br />
<br />
Anita Alvarez immediately <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/10351286-418/states-attorney-no-special-prosecutor-needed-in-koschman-case.html">challenged that request,</a> saying a special prosecutor isn't necessary, and in a 46 page filing to Toomin stated that she and City of Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson were partners in an ongoing investigation, that included "non-public proceedings which have not yet concluded."<br />
<br />
Mrs. Koschman then asked Toomin to <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/koschman/10566129-452/koschman-family-alvarez-spar-over-transcripts-in-daley-nephew-case.html">direct Alvarez's office to turn over transcripts</a> of interviews Ferguson conducted within the last year, something Alvarez had refused to do up to that point. Toomin gave Alvarez's office until late February to either give him a reason why they shouldn't do that, or to turn over the transcripts.<br />
<br />
Apparently Alvarez was too busy with other matters to cooperate with Mrs. Koschman, so on March 1, <a href="http://chicagoist.com/2012/03/01/judge_orders_alvarez_to_turn_over_k.php">Toomin ordered Alvarez</a> to turn over the Ferguson transcripts.<br />
<br />
This past month, lawyers for Richard R.J. Vanecko entered the legal fray, filing <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Daley-Nephew-Enters-Koschman-144366125.html">their own motion</a> to keep a special prosecutor from looking into the death of David Koschman or the subsequent investigation.<br />
<br />
Well, hell is coming to breakfast for the Chicago police, Anita Alvarez, Richard Vanecko, perhaps Jody Weis, and maybe even Richie Daley himself.<br />
<br />
Yesterday <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-koschman-special-prosecutor-0407-20120407,0,5437046.story">Judge Toomin approved the appointment of a special prosecutor</a> to investigate the death of David Koschman, and the resulting investigation. He tore the Chicago police and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office a new asshole in accusing them both of creating a report "from whole cloth."<br />
<br />
As I said to my friend Jack the Chicago lawyer in another discussion on the matter, these things don't start at the bottom. There's little or no chance that the cops on duty at 3AM on April 25, 2004 took it upon themselves to protect Richard R.J. Vanecko.<br />
<br />
These sort of things start much higher up than that.<br />
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<br />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-64173199798707177662012-03-30T12:14:00.002-05:002012-03-30T14:28:21.868-05:00Miss Noonan! Miss!Maybe it's the bullshit schoolmarm routine, or maybe it's the way she acts like she's explaining points that nobody in the entire fucking world has considered before. Maybe it's her faux hipness, because let's face it Peggy Noonan clearly thinks she's still something of a youthful thinker. (You can tell by the way she always tosses her hair around like someone who isn't 61 years old.)<br /><br />Can't quite put my finger on exactly what "it", but this woman makes my fucking skin crawl.<br /><br />I'm no Obama apologist; plenty of what the guy has done since I voted for him has pissed me off to an extreme. Nonetheless, the mere notion of a McCain/Palin administration today keeps me centered and satisfied that I'd vote for him again.<br /><br />That said, how in the world can this asshole write this in the Wall Street Journal?<br /><br />How can the Wall Street Journal print this crap with a straight face?<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What is happening is that the president is coming across more and more as a trimmer, as an operator who's not operating in good faith. This is hardening positions and leading to increased political bitterness. And it's his fault, too. As an increase in polarization is a bad thing, it's a big fault.</span><br /><br /><p style="font-style: italic;">The shift started on Jan. 20, with the mandate that agencies of the Catholic Church would have to provide services the church finds morally repugnant. The public reaction? "You're kidding me. That's not just bad judgment and a lack of civic tact, it's not even constitutional!" Faced with the blowback, the president offered a so-called accommodation that even its supporters recognized as devious. Not ill-advised, devious. Then his operatives flooded the airwaves with dishonest—not wrongheaded, dishonest—charges that those who defend the church's religious liberties are trying to take away your contraceptives. </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><p style="font-style: italic;">What a sour taste this all left. How shocking it was, including for those in the church who'd been in touch with the administration and were murmuring about having been misled.</p><p style="font-style: italic;"><br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;"><br /></p><p>What, is she fucking kidding?</p>Polarization is bad, and it Barack F Obama's fault?<p>The Kenyan, Marxist, Socialist, worst-possible-person-to-be-preisdent, America-hating, he's going to be the end of the country as we know it, he's going to bankrupt us and pass the tab to our grandchildren, pallin' around with terrorists, Bill Ayers/Saul Alinsky disciple?<br /></p><p>He's the polarizer?<br /></p><p>The shift started January 20th?<br /></p> <p>Of which year?</p><p>The way I recall it, by early January 2009, just around the time Obama was being sworn in, there were people saying he'd fucked up the oath of office because Roberts got the words twisted, and he was therefore not really the president.</p><p>Birthers like Trump were skulking around the periphery before he even took office, and the shitbags like Arpaio are still beating that drum. The country has never been so polarized.<br /></p><p>Polarization is bad and it's Barack Obama's fault?</p><p>FUCK!!!!!!<br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;">Now this week the Supreme Court arguments on ObamaCare, which have made that law look so hollow, so careless, that it amounts to a characterological indictment of the administration. The constitutional law professor from the University of Chicago didn't notice the centerpiece of his agenda was not constitutional? How did that happen? </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><p style="font-style: italic;">Maybe a stinging decision is coming, maybe not, but in a purely political sense this is how it looks: We were in crisis in 2009—we still are—and instead of doing something strong and pertinent about our economic woes, the president wasted history's time. He wasted time that was precious—the debt clock is still ticking!—by following an imaginary bunny that disappeared down a rabbit hole. </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><p style="font-style: italic;">The high court's hearings gave off an overall air not of political misfeasance but malfeasance. </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><p style="font-style: italic;">All these things have hardened lines of opposition, and left opponents with an aversion that will not go away. </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><p style="font-style: italic;">I am not saying that the president has a terrible relationship with the American people. I'm only saying he's made his relationship with those who oppose him worse.</p><p style="font-style: italic;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>How in the fuck can this woman be allowed to open her yap on the Sunday gabs? The Wall Street Journal needs this fucking clown?<br /></p><p>Obama has made his relationship with those who oppose him ....worse?</p><p>How the fuck could it have gotten worse? That's not possible. It was, is, and will continue to be as bad as it can possibly get for Obama when it comes to those who oppose him. Fucking McConnell said 2 years ago that the most important thing he has to do is make sure Obama loses in 2012.</p><p>Everything he's accomplished in 3+ years has been over the wailing, screaming, screeching objection of the fucking Republican opposition.<br /></p><p>If you listen to these mindless fucking possible Republican nominees describe Barack Obama you'd swear they think he's trying to cut a deal with the Russians and turn our national security over to...wait, ....they actually did say that.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;">If you jumped into a time machine to the day after the election, in November, 2012, and saw a headline saying "Obama Loses," do you imagine that would be followed by widespread sadness, pain and a rending of garments? You do not. Even his own supporters will not be that sad. It's hard to imagine people running around in 2014 saying, "If only Obama were president!" Including Mr. Obama, who is said by all who know him to be deeply competitive, but who doesn't seem to like his job that much. As a former president he'd be quiet, detached, aloof. He'd make speeches and write a memoir laced with a certain high-toned bitterness. It was the Republicans' fault. They didn't want to work with him.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">He will likely not see even then that an American president has to make the other side work with him. You think Tip O'Neill liked Ronald Reagan? You think he wanted to give him the gift of compromise? He was a mean, tough partisan who went to work every day to defeat Ronald Reagan. But forced by facts and numbers to deal, he dealt. So did Reagan. </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><p style="font-style: italic;">An American president has to make cooperation happen. </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><p style="font-style: italic;">But we've strayed from the point. Mr. Obama has a largely nonexistent relationship with many, and a worsening relationship with some. </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><p style="font-style: italic;">Really, he cannot win the coming election. But the Republicans, still, can lose it. At this point in the column we usually sigh.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Don't tell me what I imagine Peggy, you fucking asshole.</p><p> The mere thought of Santorum, Gingrich, Paul, or Romney as president not only would make me wish Obama had won a 2nd term, it would make me sad for the United States. And frightened.</p><p>The Bush-trashed economy is improving ...you do recall GW gave the rich tax breaks while the country was going in the economic shitter right? TARP ring any bells with you you fucking quack?....unemployment is dropping, Osama Bin Boogeyman is dead, we're on our way out of 2 wars that your boy Bush started, with no help from the goddamned Republicans!<br /></p><p>And you think Obama looks like he doesn't like his job very much? Where the fuck were you when GW was sulking through his last 2 years in office, looking very much like a guy who couldn't wait to go fall off the wagon down in Crawford?</p><p>Cooperation? Obama has his own people spitting mad because of how much he HAS compromised with the fucking Republicans you dried up old hagfish.<br /></p><p>Yeah, the Reagan speech writing thing bothers me. She basks in her fame as Ronnie's speechifyer. I admit it, it's one reason I can't stand Noonan. So much of what Noonan wrote for that lunatic had the same ring as this shit she's burped up here. Absolutely oblivious to her own surroundings, and oh good gosh oh golly how much do we all love this great country, and why can't people just see things the way they really are?<br /></p><p>It's at this point in the column that we usually just say go fuck yourself Peggy Noonan.<br /></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-14299876257429271382012-03-22T13:56:00.000-05:002012-03-22T13:57:06.740-05:00Murder.....is now legal in Florida.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-42433924494299335232012-03-20T12:49:00.005-05:002012-03-20T16:47:57.086-05:00Judgment DayShe was wonderful at first. Head over heels I was. You know the drill, me and her against the world. No money, not a care in the fucking world. We lived in a 3rd floor walk-up studio apartment in Evanston that couldn't have been more than 450 square feet, and I loved that little place.<br /><br />Northwestern undergrad for her, and days of working on houses for me. At night, we'd sit on the roof and smoke dope while we talked about our plans for the future. That was the summer of 1980. Her parents hated me. I was stealing their baby.<br /><br />Her dad, John, wrote me a letter that dripped with contempt. "Sorry I want what's best for my daughter. Sorry I have hopes and dreams. I thought maybe she'd become the first female Justice on the US Supreme Court. I don't know how to handle you two living together, but I'm really trying to understand."<br /><br />Probably sent a Fuck-you letter to Sandra Day-O on the same Day-o.<br /><br />When I say we had no money, I mean we had no money. As it turned out, she had money.<br /><br />A tearful phone call from her mom, Lenore.<br /><br />Trust fund.<br /><br />Hundreds of thousands of dollars as soon as she turned 21. She was 18 at the time. I was 20.<br /><br />They were already paying for NU, and Lenore wanted her to understand that anyplace she wanted to go, she could go. Harvard, Yale, Chicago. That was assuming she went on to grad school. John and Lenore were certain I wanted her to drop out and have babies or some fucking thing.<br /><br />John was a Domer. ND Class of '59. Same year I was born. I think that always bothered him.<br /><br />Lenore was a St. Mary's girl,...a Smick Chick. She wasn't as dazzled by South Bend as John was. John wanted all 5 of his kids to be Domers. I'd already stood in the way of that plan. I was the reason she'd stayed local. So we could live in our little box on the 3rd floor, and smoke dope on the roof. John hated me for that.<br /><br />That winter, just as John and Lenore were getting ready to hop on a plane for the condo in Snowmass, we told them we wanted to talk. Would Saturday be good?<br /><br />"Are you getting married?" asked John.<br /><br />"We'd rather talk to you about it in person." said Mary.<br /><br />And so we did.<br /><br />The most uncomfortable conversation I've ever had. This was the same guy who'd had me followed by a PI. The same guy who'd done serious background checking on my family. The guy who'd badmouthed me to his friends, and who made sure that the badmouthing got back to me.<br /><br />I was in fear for my life at one point. Powerful fucking guy, that John. Dripping with money, and dripping with contempt for me. Contacts up the ass too. Influence, he had it. Still does.<br /><br />"Can we try to maintain a friendly relationship?" asked Lenore.<br />"Why start now?" asked me.<br />"Look, Mike, I don't have anything against you but..."said John.<br />"Of course you do."said me.<br /><br />Very uncomfortable.<br /><br />And Mary was on my side. She was by my side. She was my side.<br /><br />And so on December 22, 1980, we had a nice 15 minute ceremony with Judge Harold Sullivan. John and Lenore were in Snowmass. My parents were in Ft. Myers. That's a different story. My parents weren't happy, but they weren't dripping with contempt. If I was happy, they were happy. They just thought we were too young.<br /><br />They were probably right.<br /><br />And then things improved. John and Lenore saw that I wasn't standing in Mary's way. She breezed through undergrad, after leaving NU for Loyola, and later on killed the LSAT.<br /><br />Now I'm a swell guy.<br /><br />Now I'm along for the trips to Snowmass.<br /><br />Now I'm doing weekends with the bros-in-law in South Bend. They became Domers.<br /><br />And then the damnedest thing happened.<br /><br />Trust fund.<br /><br />Should have been paid out when she was 21, but it was rewritten. Now it would sit there, growing, until she was 30.<br /><br />All of it invested in bank stock. John's banks. He owned banks. Six of them. Originally purchased at $7 a share. Now worth about half a hunnert per. And growing. Millions.<br /><br />Didn't care. It wasn't my money, and from what I could tell, Mary didn't think about it either. Except at dividend time. She started to look forward to those checks. Maybe a little too much.<br /><br />We were still happy, but not like when we were first starting out. Us against the world. Now we had powerful friends, and influence.<br /><br />Those were the law school years. Living in the Loop, in a nice high rise on Ohio St., close to the Rubloff Building where Mary went to Law School. We lived on the 29th floor of a 29 story building. The elevator buttons went from 1-28, and then there was that PH button.<br /><br />I hated that button. Someone always made a penthouse remark when I'd push it. I assured them the apartment was the same as the one one floor below, but they always rolled their eyes. Whatever. It was close to school, and the reverse commute was nice. As the psychos were coming into the Loop in the morning, I was driving out to work on houses in the burbs.<br /><br />John and Lenore were very happy with me. So were the bros-in-law, and the sis-in-law, Lenore Jr. They thought I was the greatest thing that had ever happened to their big sister.<br /><br />But something else was happening to the big sister. She was becoming arrogant. Very arrogant. I'd never seen that kind of arrogance before. We were arguing about the silliest shit. I figured it was just because she was in school learning to argue for a living.<br /><br />When she graduated, and killed the bar on the first try, she was sure she'd get bowled over by job offers.<br /><br />She didn't.<br /><br />One day John called me at work and asked me to stop by his bank.<br /><br />"What's up?"<br /><br />"You have to keep this between me and you. If Mary knew I was talking to you behind her back she'd kill me."<br /><br />"How can I agree to that if I don't know what you're going to tell me? I don't keep anything from her."<br /><br />"Look, I know Mary's going nuts over this job thing. I can help. I can call my friend Brian down at the State's Attorney's office, and she'll have a job by tomorrow."<br /><br />"Well John, we...uh....appreciate any help we can get....I'm not sure why you called me."<br /><br />"Fuck you Mike. Just say yes or no. Should I make the call?"<br /><br />This is the same guy who was dripping with contempt for me 10 years ago? The guy who had big hopes for his daughter that I was fucking up? Now he wants me to make a career decision for his daughter without consulting her?<br /><br />"Yes."<br /><br />Next day, I walk in our penthouse apartment after working on houses, and she's waiting at the door for me. Bursting. Beaming. Happy.<br /><br />And I pretended to be surprised.<br /><br />A job with Richie Daley at the SA's office? Fuckin' terrific. I knew you could do it.<br /><br />Two years later, she stayed out all night. Drinking with the other assistants at the Randolph Inn. That wasn't unusual. The not coming home part was unusual.<br /><br />Up all night, with Freddie King. I got ta tell ya, poker's his thing.<br /><br />By 4 AM, I was frantic.<br /><br />By 6AM, I called John.<br /><br />"Have you heard from Mary?"<br />"What? No! What's going on?"<br />"I don't know John. Dropped her off at work yesterday, she went out for drinks after. And she didn't come home."<br /><br />At 7AM, she called me from her brother's house.<br /><br />We need to talk. She's been unhappy lately. Needs some time to herself.<br /><br />"What's his name?"<br />"There's nobody else. I would have told you if there was. I'm just not happy. I think maybe we should separate for a while."<br /><br />A year later, a guy handed me some papers.<br /><br />I'm now The Respondent.<br /><br />Divorce.<br /><br />I didn't want a divorce, but I didn't want to be married to someone who did. I had 29 things that I'd need before signing. Number 29 was that she'd stop using my last name.<br /><br />That was the one thing she fought me over.<br /><br />I held my ground. Maybe I'll get married again. I don't want 2 women out there with my last name. Fuck you. Go back to your boring old maiden name.<br /><br />But everyone in the lawyer community knows me by this name. I have business cards. I'm in Sullivan's with this name. It's a great name, especially in Chicago.<br /><br />I know. Fuck you. You can't have it.<br /><br />After 10 months I signed the papers. Time to move on with life.<br /><br />I was single again on June 13, 1990.<br /><br />Two years later, she made headlines in the Rolando Cruz case. Now with Roland Burris at the AG's office. She'd quit her gig at the SA's office. Must have been that thing I said about her dad getting her the job with Richie. Hey sorry John, she needed to know that she'd be nothing without the $ and your influence. Arrogance needs to be knocked down.<br /><br />The Cruz case. Using my last name. Fuck! Quit her job at the Attorney General's office rather than see to the execution of an innocent man.<br /><br />Rolando Cruz? That's Larry Marshall's client. Larry was her Constitutional Law prof at NU. How in the fuck did she wind up with that appeal? She told me that Cruz was innocent back when she was at NU. Larry had told her that. She admired Larry very much, but still.....is this even possible? She took the case knowing ahead of time that she couldn't prosecute the defendant? What the fuck is going on here?<br /><br />And she stayed in the news for years. Hero falls on sword. Places what's right ahead of her own career. George Ryan cited her when he cleared Death Row.<br /><br />It was all a fix. She never planned on prosecuting Cruz. She took the case so she could quit her job. It was a career move alright. I knew what she was doing. She wanted to be a judge. She's going to run for the bench. I know it. She told me.<br /><br />15 years later, there's a vacancy in the 1st District Appellate Court. Guy named Cahill croaked. 6 people filed the proper papers declaring themselves candidates. She was one of them. This time, under her new name.<br /><br />She's been working at the Public Guardian's office for the last 17 years. She has no judicial experience. Not even traffic court. What she does have is money. Lots and lots of money. And her dad has influence. Lots and lots of influence. And money. He's swimming in money.<br /><br />That's how she's able to pay for all these advertisements. The ones that remind people of how much integrity she has. She has so much integrity that she resigned her job over the wrongful prosecution of Rolando Cruz back in nineteen-ninety-fucking-two.<br /><br />I called a guy from the Tribune back in 1997. He'd been singing her praises in his columns on wrongful convictions. Told him that while I agreed with his premise, the Cruz thing was all a fix. Prosecution for The Defense. Gaming the system. She's grandstanding. It's a political play. She wants to be a judge. Mark my words, some day she's going to use this thing as a platform.<br /><br />And that day,... is today.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-41642328920776042112012-03-05T17:18:00.000-06:002012-03-05T17:19:28.870-06:00G8 News<a title="It's not being held in Chicago" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-g8-summit-to-be-held-at-camp-david-not-chicago-20120305,0,2787373.story">It's not being held in Chicago</a>.<br /><br />President Obama has decided to move the G8 Summit gathering to Camp David, in order to have a more "informal setting."<br /><br />Not sure how that will impact protester population, as the NATO Summit and the International Security Assistance Force will still be held here in mid-May, but I have to assume any change in potential conflict is diminished, even if only slightly.<br /><br />Rahm Emanuel pressed hard for both G8 and NATO, so while he's paying lip service to Obama, wishing them well at Camp David, he's probably disappointed. On the other hand, the Chicago police are probably more than a little happy with this news.<br /><br />Joe Isobaker, with the United National Antiwar Committee called the announcement a great win for the protesters, pointing to the controversy that's been swirling around Emanuel's attempts to beef up police forces and stiffen local ordinances in anticipation of problems in the streets. The UNAC will still be protesting though, as will the Coalition Against NATO/G8.<br /><br />Nonetheless, people who were halfway through their preparation for <a title="G8 are "stunned"" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-g8-move-stuns-some-chicago-organizers-20120305,0,1595593.story">G8 are "stunned"</a> by this announcement. I'm surprised, and pleasantly so. Rahm's stated reason for wanting to hold the multiple summits were very much like Richie Daley's stated reason for wanting the fucking 2016 Summer Olympics here. To showcase the city of Chicago to the world and the world to the city of Chicago.<br /><br />I'd tell Rahm the same thing I told Daley in an old Fray post....the world knows about Chicago and Chicago knows about the world. It's not an emerging city Rahm. We've been around for 175 years or so, and the only changes that tourists may notice are basically down at Grant Park.<br /><br />Big deal.<br /><br />And the most important point, one that Daley and Emanuel seem to not fathom is that Chicago, during the spring and summer, already draws huge numbers of tourists. They've been coming here for decades. It's not like these summits are going to boost local business or something. The hotels are booked, the restaurants will do huge business, the theaters, the museums, the lakefront will all be loaded with people. In other words, business as usual.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-46669503240906265322012-02-29T11:58:00.001-06:002012-02-29T11:58:54.797-06:00Bachmann's Boondoggle Bridge<div> " C'mon, it's Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick 'em up, we zip right out again. We're not going to Moscow. It's Czechoslovakia. It's like we're going into <i>Wisconsin</i>."~ John Winger<br /><br />I admit, proudly, to being a tree-hugger. I'll take the company of a bunch of trees over a bunch of Republicans any day. I also admit, proudly, to an intense dislike for Minnesota Congresscreature Michele Bachmann. And in that regard, any piece of legislation that is urged by Bachmann is something I'm going to initially reject without even knowing what it is.<br /><br />She's been pushing for a bridge across the St. Croix River for a long time now, a replacement for the current structure which connects Minnesota and Wisconsin. The problem is that she needs to get Congressional approval.<br /><br />Back in 1968, a guy named Walter Mondale, along with his buddy Gaylord Nelson passed the "Wild and Scenic Rivers Act" which protects rivers, like the St. Croix, from having bridges built across them. Mondale has been vocal in his opposition to Bachmann's request that it be bypassed. (The reason she needs Congressional approval.)<br /><br /> H.R 850 (her bill) and S.1134, the Senate counterpart, have passed. Today it's back in the House for final debate, and a vote perhaps tomorrow. It's likely to pass, although that's not a certainty yet. They're hustling it along under special rules requiring a 2/3 vote that is normally used in non-controversial bits of business like naming post offices, or voting themselves pay raises.<br /><br />The Stillwater Bridge, which everyone agrees needs to be replaced, is in Bachmann's congressional district. But that's about to change. After a remapping, the bridge will fall in Dem Rep. Betty McCollum's district, and Betty opposes the bridge that Bachmann has been trying to hustle through Congress. McCullom acknowledges the need for a replacement bridge in Stillwater, just not one that costs $700million. She seems to think there's a lot of pork and graft connected to this particular piece of business, and points to the $300million spent to replace the 35W bridge that famously collapsed near Minnneapolis/St. Paul not long ago.<br /><br />Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has given a March 15th deadline for final passage, and if it's not reached, he says the money already earmarked for the new bridge will be spent in other areas around the state.<br /><br />Dayton supports the new bridge. So does (D) Sen. Al Franken. So does Wisconsin Gov. Mark Walker. There's agreement on this thing across the board, and between people who usualyy go at it like cats and dogs. Red flag there. Maybe it's my Chicago suspicion radar going off. I hate unanimous consent. Argue motherfuckers. Debate.<br /><br />Both houses of Congress seem perfectly willing to bypass the Wild And Scenic Rivers Act for the time being, a move that Mondale says will signal an end to the Act itself. They don't like objecting in the House of Reps on things like this, and they don't like blocking House proposals in the Senate unless of course they involve shit like Unemployment benefit extensions or health care for 9/11 first responders.<br /><br />In reading about this stuff, I suddenly got this creepy feeling....a memory of the Willet Creek Dam project in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Sen. Paine, played by Claude Raines, is a slimebag, and is in the pocket of Jim Taylor. Taylor is a prominent power broker from Paine's home state ( never actually identified in the movie.) Taylor wants a dam built across Willet Creek, and he wants his man in the Senate, Paine, to slam the bill which approves the dam through the Senate.<br /><br />Along comes Jefferson Smith, played masterfully by Jimmy Stewart, a newly appointed temporary seat filler in the Senate. Paine's former Senate partner, a guy named Sam Foley had died suddenly. Couldn't have come at a worse time as Foley had been in on the deal to build this dam. Together they'd buried, uh attached, the dam funding appropriation to a "deficiency bill" was was being eased through Congress. Paine and Taylor were in trouble. They needed a new guy, Foley's replacement, who wouldn't ask any questions about the dam. And so, they had their pal the Governor appoint Mr. Smith to replace Foley.<br /><br />Without getting too involved in the details of the flick, Smith is a noob who has no idea what kind of sneaky business the US Government carries on daily. As long as he doesn't ask questions, Paine and his handlers are good to go. Unfortunately for Smith, he wants to do something. He wants to play Senator. He wants to introduce a bill that establishes a boys camp, a place where kids from around the country can go to hike and fish and sleep under the stars. In fact, he tells his assistant Saunders, there 's a place called Willet Creek....<br /><br />Gasp. Of all the confounded places for Smith to choose, he's picked the same spot that Taylor and Paine and the other money-grubbers have set aside for their dam. After first trying to convince Smith to choose a different spot, unsuccessfully, Paine and Taylor trump up some phony charges against Smith and try to have him expelled from the Senate. Which is of course the setting for the climactic filibuster scene at the end of the movie. And of course, Mr. Smith's filibuster is so effective, Raines/Paine can't stand himself anymore and tries to commit suicide in the hall, unsuccessfully. And that's when Paine finally rushes the Senate floor and spills his guts. Smith is telling the truth, I'm a crook. I don't deserve to be here representing the American people in this hallowed chamber etc etc etc.<br /><br />$700 million of taxpayer money, split between Minnesota and Wisconsin, is what Bachmann is after with her bill. And, she needs to get this done fast. That's another red flag for me. What's the rush? Don;t give that bullshit about now or never either. If it's that important, you'll find a way to trim it back. The same asshole who squeals about government spending wants a gargantuan sum for a bridge that won't stretch more than a few miles, and will carry approximately 18,000 cars per day....roughly 1/20th of the total that use the 35W.<br /><br />Like I said, the thing will likely pass. I don't expect someone like Al Franken to come barging in with his hair on fire screaming about the dirty deals going on in Washington, and how he can't live with himself anymore. But seriously, $700 million? Seems like a lot of scratch to me. Next time Bachmann starts whining about wasteful spending, remember how she ushered this thing through Congress. She's been calling both Boehner and Pelosi urging them to get behind the bypassing of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and has compared her efforts to "parting the Red Sea." No, not really all that Biblical Michele, it's just the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act you're taking a machete to. And it's not like I expect any of our current Congress to stand up for something as silly as the natural beauty of the country.<br /><br />My friends at the National Parks Service called this to my attention. They oppose the move. They seem to think the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act serves a purpose. I told the woman who emailed me, asking that I contact my Congresscreature Jan Schakowsky and urge her to vote no to this thing,...I love you folks at the NPS, but watch your backs. My Congresswoman couldn't care less what they do in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It's their money. And assholes like Bachmann are the first to look at outfits like the National Park Service when it comes to trimming the federal budget. She's such a fiscal conservative.<br /><br /><br /> </div>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-77605864961777979492012-02-09T11:51:00.002-06:002012-02-09T11:58:26.538-06:00A Sticker Situation<img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/schmutzie--/slide_199872_519659_large.jpg" /><br /><br />There's been a big uproar the last few days over what were to be Chicago's new city vehicle stickers. The theme for this year's design is "Chicago's Heroes" and young people from the city were encouraged last year to submit artwork that honors the city's first responders; firefighters, cops, EMTs.<br /><br />A 15 year old kid named Herbert Pulgar won the contest to design, and it was announced last Thursday that Herbert had won $1000 savings bond after more than 18,000 people voted for his design in December.<br /><br /><object id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=wls&section=&mediaId=8535566&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site="><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed id="otvPlayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=wls&section=&mediaId=8535566&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site=" width="400" height="268"></embed></object><br /><span> <span id="temp-1"><span> </span> </span> </span><br /><br />As soon as the winning artwork was unveiled, the blog "<a title="Detective Shaved Longcock" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://shavedlongcock.blogspot.com/">Detective Shaved Longcock</a>", a popular spot for Chicago cops to post, raised some concern over the design. According to the folks at Shaved, <a href="http://shavedlongcock.blogspot.com/2012/02/did-chicago-get-hosed-on-upcoming-new.html">little Herbert's design was a hidden tribute</a> to one of Chicago's more notorious street gangs, the Maniac Latin Disciples. (It's been somewhat humorous to watch the local media try to explain the name of the blog which first raised the possibility that Herbert's design was coded gang-speak.)<br /><br />As a sometimes reader of Detective Shaved Longcock, and a guy who has frequent interaction with Chicago's police (for business reasons) I can say that there are certain racist elements to DSL as well as the police force in general. Some who comment to posts use words like nigger and spick, and the blog itself has <a title="some posts up" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://shavedlongcock.blogspot.com/2012/02/can-chicago-ever-get-police.html">some posts up</a> that can only be described as racial, if not flat-out racist. It's not unusual for members of the force to categorize the city by neighborhoods, and the predominant race of the people who live in those neighborhoods. It's also a common practice for the cops to label certain neighborhoods as controlled by this gang or that gang. A turf thing. If you ask the cops why they speak in such generalities they look at you as if you are completely detached from the reality of Chicago.<br /><br />Gangs. We has 'em.<br /><br />Anyway, back to little Herbert's design. It's a heart comprised of Chicago's blue and white striped flag, the red stars, and a view of the city's skyline. Reaching skyward from the heart are four hands of different colors, and above them are the hats of Chicago police, Chicago firefighters, and the paramedic symbol.<br /><br />According to Herbert, it was those people who saved his life when he was rescued from a fire at 4 years old.<br /><br />According to Shaved Longcock, he's the son of a known gangster, and Herbert himself has had something of a troubled youth. They point to the hand gestures in Herbert's drawing and claim that it's the "pitchfork" sign (thumb/index/middle finger) that gets flashed on MLD turf. (No word if they think Herbert's depiction of the Hancock Building is really flipping us all the bird.) The heart and pitchfork logo is often a tag used by the gang to announce their turf to rivals who wonder about boundaries. Posted at the blog are pictures of Herbert sporting a red bandana around his face, a MLD trademark, and another picture of him exhaling a smoky mouthful of something as he squints at the camera.<br /><br />I'm not sure exactly who makes decisions on this sort of shit, but City Clerk Sharon Mendoza, who initially called Herbert a "rock star" when his artwork was selected as the winner (by a panel of people which included 10 Chicago cops), has now backpedaled. The City Clerk's office issued a statement saying that Mendoza was shocked to hear the "rumor" floated at Detective Shaved Longcock about Herbert's drawing carrying a hidden gang message, and launched an investigation.<br /><br />It was announced this morning that Herbert Pulgar's winning design has been pulled as the new city vehicle sticker, and the submission made by Caitlin Henehan, a senior from Resurrection High School has taken its place. Caitlin's design is sort of a super-hero thing that shows...well, here,...<br /><br /><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/schmutzie--/slide_199872_519623_large.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />Herbert Pulgar was interviewed by Chicago's ABC7 after Mendoza's decision was announced and he was understandably upset. He cried his ass off, and explained that his artwork was about peace and love and Chicago's finest first responders, and has nothing to do with gangs.<br /><br />The cops at Shaved Longcock are equally happy with the selection of Caitlin's work, and see it as a big improvement over something drawn by a brown kid who may or may not be affiliated with the Maniac Latin Disciples. Nice white Catholic girl beats a Hispanic punk every time with the cops here.<br /><br />Mayor Rahm Emanuel has kept pretty mum on the issue, but that won't last long. Rahm's got pretty strong opinions about offensive hand gestures.<br /><br /><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p5/schmutzie--/Rahmgesture.jpg" />Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-77469414126002208822012-01-12T13:38:00.008-06:002012-01-12T15:22:46.036-06:00WOW! I coulda had a G8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSY9-z7AgeS1zJUm9keISyzFMV2_rThl0tNYX-5XmLGufBuk2EHTolypnBtK7unHUQkNeyAWJL5w2UXS2fIdVwZNJErF_9EJTPkEbBGMl5Of619btYbgceZ9vDDOSutCeA-rD/s1600/ProjectPage_ConventionCenter_Mccormick_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSY9-z7AgeS1zJUm9keISyzFMV2_rThl0tNYX-5XmLGufBuk2EHTolypnBtK7unHUQkNeyAWJL5w2UXS2fIdVwZNJErF_9EJTPkEbBGMl5Of619btYbgceZ9vDDOSutCeA-rD/s400/ProjectPage_ConventionCenter_Mccormick_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696832944132422418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It was announced today that portions of Chicago will be on lockdown during the G8 Nato Summit, to be held May 19-21. By "lockdown" I mean that people in cars will not be able to travel on certain streets, nor will parking be allowed in what NBC is calling "scores of parking spots" along some of the Loop's streets. Unclear so far on which streets, but a "large security perimeter" will be encircling McCormick Place, where the conferences will be held.<br /><br />The reason for the vagueness at this point? The United States Secret Service won't release the information until April 21. No mystery why they don't reveal, but these are issues that need to be addressed.<br /><br />For starters, we're talking serious adjustment for a large number of people here. Drive into the Loop on any given day and you'll see streets lined on both sides with parked cars for as far as the eye can see. If you drive along Washington for instance, heading east from the Kennedy Expressway, not only are there parked cars lining the entire parade route, but there are Public Parking entrances on both sides of every block that lead to 10 story parking structures.<br /><br /><br />Those enormous lots fill up very often. Depending on which streets the SS decides to close, we could be talking "no room at the Inn" at practically every one of these lots when those who were chased off the street come looking for a place to spend the day. I wouldn't call it a perfect stasis down there but the city's parking capacity and the demand for parking spots is always teetering right there. Some days no problem finding a spot,...some days you circle for blocks looking for a lot with available space. The people who park in the street are usually down there very early, and so high rise parking is usually the only option when you hit the Loop at 8:30 AM.<br /><br />Now, with closures and parking bans in effect for this fucking G8/Nato deal, the early birds will just use the high rise lots instead of the streets, and those who normally drive up 6 stories to park every day are going to be shit-out-of-luck. The G8 Committee, by way of spokeswoman Jennifer Martinez says the committee has agreed to foot the tab for lost parking revenue which is something like $6 per hour.....per parking spot. (Weird isn't it? A small slab of concrete makes 6 bucks an hour, even the spots in front of the unemployment office.)<br /><br />Actually, most of the really sweet street parking spots around the Daley Center and City Hall are reserved for police vehicles, City of Chicago employee vehicles, limos, and Rahm's Rolls Royce but that's a rant for another day.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl28otH1OHOwnF8J79LICrB8b4WM6VJd727PwMOj7CBUBfRk7SFW5ucwmG5ZNXX9Scgw4aPxcd0NJ7myFT_PVv7HrQOzM8JvlhupYe8WuPxVdRc3UG3WvJoBB6DFoAUG-LfqB7/s1600/238262300_5b66e31957_b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl28otH1OHOwnF8J79LICrB8b4WM6VJd727PwMOj7CBUBfRk7SFW5ucwmG5ZNXX9Scgw4aPxcd0NJ7myFT_PVv7HrQOzM8JvlhupYe8WuPxVdRc3UG3WvJoBB6DFoAUG-LfqB7/s400/238262300_5b66e31957_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696833281101905522" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And don't think for a second that the parking ban will only be in effect for 3 days. The SS will want barriers, barricades, police lines, parking blockages and what-not in effect for at least a week before the fun begins, and maybe more than that. They'll have bomb sniffing pooches going through every garage in the city. Soon enough we'll be seeing the distinctive blue-glow of the welders as they seal up the manhole covers, suddenly mailboxes will vanish from street corners, strange silhouettes will begin to appear on rooftops overlooking LaSalle Street, and little men with tiny binoculars will take their places as spotters for the other little men with tiny sniper rifles. Every window in every office building within blocks of the SS determined route from Loop hotels to McCormick Place will be under surveillance so don't even think about doing the old "hey world look at how incredibly big my dick is!" flasher stunt.<br /><br />Lockdown.<br /><br />I hate the sound of that fucking word, especially when it's used in my hometown. For a few weeks in May, this city is going to be a police state. Two City Council committees will meet next week to vote on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's G8/Nato Summit proposals. They'll decide if we should suspend normal spending rules and allow money to be spent on what-the-fuck-ever-we-feel-like-at-121 N. LaSalle.<br /><br />They'll also vote on Rahm's proposal to allow Chicago Police Superintendent Garry O'Connor to deputize temporary muscle to deal with unruly citizens.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPsR5l7EiToUl03ke5hkub3ike0LkRIF_WSZJ7H-btFHykrXCBkZKG2d2iDxi6qOsf8GeEDGUcXOuRDRK7Tej60nDh3Iq7ptBfanCPOD4UIGxQM2kLfjyeyb1OCu6KHaXbH4i/s1600/LI-sculptures-2003b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPsR5l7EiToUl03ke5hkub3ike0LkRIF_WSZJ7H-btFHykrXCBkZKG2d2iDxi6qOsf8GeEDGUcXOuRDRK7Tej60nDh3Iq7ptBfanCPOD4UIGxQM2kLfjyeyb1OCu6KHaXbH4i/s400/LI-sculptures-2003b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696833726338022274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />And there will be unruly citizens. One group plans to march from the Daley Center to McCormick Place on the 19th. That'll perhaps take them through Grant Park. Why am I positive that's the way they'll go? Ya just know they're NOT going to avoid Grant Park, for symbolic reasons if nothing else. And besides, it is the more scenic way to march if you're going to McCormick Place. You can look north and see the Married With Children Buckingham Fountain, you can walk south on Michigan Ave. past Spearman and Bowman and the Hilton and Balbo and all that other Democratic National Convention 1968-ish stuff.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLxI4mhRc7qZwQ48N1IJ471_2QoDOGxuqisG6N62_CFAJm-Ks1oXyYfMoA4gG3zqeIyBHjgE4nVbKJ0wAT9iyPfTyjK0Pzd_ri_J4ihqCbQDHVrM-r4-pc2tkCKOtp8jaH92f/s1600/bowman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLxI4mhRc7qZwQ48N1IJ471_2QoDOGxuqisG6N62_CFAJm-Ks1oXyYfMoA4gG3zqeIyBHjgE4nVbKJ0wAT9iyPfTyjK0Pzd_ri_J4ihqCbQDHVrM-r4-pc2tkCKOtp8jaH92f/s400/bowman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696833931707653586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Over on the left of the vehicle, you can see the large clearing where our current president Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech to 400,000 in November, 2008. And over there is Mike Royko's softball field.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZdoChSc2LFn8FUzMBSxYS4zWnQDkoZAleOQrg__-jNCRVnjyHzrbD6e2mAQ_IczDuUs-jU8R_mlPpBDqiq2uDkyoKJrUAmFDmK5ScizmHxbEJwRTGHv4KTEed1bSMd3fxjUG/s1600/spearman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZdoChSc2LFn8FUzMBSxYS4zWnQDkoZAleOQrg__-jNCRVnjyHzrbD6e2mAQ_IczDuUs-jU8R_mlPpBDqiq2uDkyoKJrUAmFDmK5ScizmHxbEJwRTGHv4KTEed1bSMd3fxjUG/s400/spearman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696834282610170194" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But unlike '68, this isn't just a Richard J Daley/ James Conlisk Chicago Op. Black helicopters and men who talk to their wrists will be here too. SS will be everywhere, and I would expect security personnel from other countries to be accompanying their dignifuckintaries. This is Michelle Obama's hometown, and Maui Jim certainly doesn't want any fuck-ups when the whole world's watching this time. If that means turning Chicago into a place more like 1975 Moscow, so be it. The fucking circus is coming to town, and Jennifer Martinez says that when it's all over, the event will not have cost the taxpayers a dime.<br /><br />Yeah, sure, right, okay, uh-huh.<br /><br />"The police aren't here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder."~ RJD<br /><br /><br />***************************************************<br /><br />UPDATE: At Thursday's (today's) City Council meeting, several Aldermen used strong language to attack Mayor Emanuel's G8/Nato Summit proposals.<br /><br />Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward)- “It’s an affront to the right to free speech. Government is telling you what you can write on a sign, who’s allowed to carry those signs and what kind of [sound] amplification you can use. For every 100 people, you have to have a parade marshal.At least after `68, Chicago has always been a city that has done very well with protests. Police have been excellent at handling protests over the last few years. This seems like pushing the table backwards. I understand you have serious international actors coming into town and there needs to be restrictions. But we can’t let it go over the top. They can’t be things that stop people from expressing their right to free speech. ”<br /><br />Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th Ward)-“I don’t want protesters to get a criminal record just on the basis of protesting and exercising their constitutional rights, I don’t want people to be unnecessarily impeded for what they naturally do every day. This is a bustling city. People do have schedules and agendas to keep. I want people to live as normal a life as they possibly can when the G-8 comes."<br /><br />Ald. Michelle Smith (43rd Ward)-“Public parks are closed until 6 a.m. We have joggers who go out earlier than that. The fines seem very high. As people who were around in the `60’s, we didn’t face those kinds of fines to protest the war in Vietnam.A lot of the regulations seem a bit excessive and I hope the administration is open to compromise on them. We have a really well-trained police force. They did very well with the Occupy Chicago protesters. We can showcase Chicago to the world, yet preserve free expression.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Also today, the city announced that the Coalition Against the NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda has been granted their permit for a march on May 19 from Daley Plaza to Indiana and 23rd.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Rahm Emanuel said today that the city is working with the Secret Service “to establish an official protest area, where the City will provide sound amplification equipment, portable toilets, and other resources for protestors who wish to use it.”<br /><br />An official protest area! Oh yeah, that's got "winning idea" written all over it.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33360632.post-55213969855541503852012-01-09T14:06:00.000-06:002012-01-09T14:07:13.058-06:00HairI haven't really put much time into writing anything worth blogging about lately. Went and checked my stats on a whim and was surprised to find that I was still getting 15-20 page views a day. Fascinated, I opened up the "visitor activity" log to see what these folks were reading. What jumped off the screen at me first were all these flag icons next to the visitors. British flags, Brazilian flags, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Honduras, Ecuador, Egypt.... What the fuck are these farrrreigners looking at?<br /><br />Bald.<br /><br />Men (I'm assuming they're men) from all over the world are reading my post about baldness, partial baldness, possible shaving my head to go with the full baldness look, and of course mocking Carlos Boozer from the Bulls who has a full beard with a bald dome. Imagine having a full head of thick hair....and shaving it off voluntarily. Shit's fucked up I tell ya.)<br /><br />It's not just visitors from around the world who are reading my Bald post, there are some Yanks who also pop in, but the array of flags from other countries shows quite clearly that men from all over the world are really fucked up in their heads because they think they're fucked up on top of their heads.<br /><br />What is it in human beings that is so obsessed with this patch of hair (or lack of it) on top of our heads? Consider the billions of dollars spent every year on hair care. Shampoos, conditioners, rinses, Grecian formulas, hair coloring, uncoloring, cutting, trimming, styling, shaping & changing...<br /><br />When did this start? I see old pictures of my dad and his buddies from the 1960s and they were all pretty much sporting the part-on-one-side standard Dick Van Dyke style.<br /><br />I acknowledge that the el feminitos have always spent more time (and money) styling and maintaining their dos, but I can't imagine my mom's generation taking hair-care to the extreme that we've reached, and so this hair obsession must have started sometime in the 70s.<br /><br />Somewhere along the line here, we have begun to pay way too much attention to something that grows out of our bodies. When I consider hair in its most basic form, it's really sort of unpleasant which is probably why they call it "unsightly hair." On the one hand, we pour hot wax on part of our body to get rid of the shit because who the fuck wants hair down there? On the other hand, the exact same follicles are squirting out these long strands of fine vellus or thick stuff that is made mainly of the protein keratin, becomes such an obsession that we stop and look at our own reflections in store windows.<br /><br />Some guys are so tormented by a lack of the shit on top of their heads (said to be caused by an excess amount of testosterone you fucking morons) that they spend thousands of dollars on weaves, plugs, transplants and worst of all....fucking toupees.<br /><br />Maybe I shouldn't be wondering when we became this obsessed over something as basic as a patch of hair on top of our heads, and instead I should wonder why. I use the first person plural pronoun, although frankly I don't belong in this group. I spend about 1 minute and 9 seconds a day screwing around with my hair but I am a member of this society, and as such I feel it's my duty to get to the bottom of this. Who in the hell decided that our hair is so fucking important?<br /><br />After much consideration I've decided that I blame the same people Carlin blamed for most of the ills of modern society.<br /><br /><br /><object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/AtK_YsVInw8?version=3&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/AtK_YsVInw8?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="315"></embed></object>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04253196269498737011noreply@blogger.com0